


Dreamland

by CourtneyB



Category: Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, Psychological Drama, Romance, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2018-12-24 01:06:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 29,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12001728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CourtneyB/pseuds/CourtneyB
Summary: Goku's third and final death leaves Chi-Chi bereft with grief and remorse.  More than anything, she wishes she could be with him again.  Her wish seems to come true when she suddenly wakes up in Other World 30 years into the future...but she has no memory of the rest of her life.  Is it real?  Or is something more sinister going on?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A huge thanks to Lady Cressa for encouraging me to go forward with this idea! It's been in my mind for a long time and I'm really nervous about finally writing it out! Hope you guys enjoy it!

The cloaked figures, one tall and the other short, lurked in the background of the island village. Waiting, watching for the perfect victim, the one that could give them the endless power they needed.

They were the Reniards—an ancient race whose strength came from the spirits of others. It wasn’t the lifeforce of happy, healthy beings they craved. No, they desired the force obtained through misery and despair. What kept most beings down was the thing that empowered them. They had voyaged across galaxies to seek out the poorest, downtrodden, broken creatures they could find.

In the old days, they’d simply drain the victim dry and take the energy back to their homeworld. Yet this time was different. Their ship had crashed on a planet and they were in desperate need of fuel. For them to escape, they needed a living victim—one that could serve as a power source, at least until they made it home.

How fortunate then, that they had landed on Earth. Of all the races in the universe, humans were well known for their ability to inflict pain and suffering on each other. And poverty-stricken places were a goldmine for misery.

They had been watching for hours, and so far there were no prospects. The shorter one held up a black mirror, holding it up the unsuspecting humans passed by. “For poor people, they don’t seem too unhappy. There’s too much fight among these people—too much desire to live.”

“Patience,” its taller companion hissed back. “There’s bound to be someone in this place.”

Just then, there was an excited frenzy among the people. A yellow cloud descended from the sky, bearing a black-haired woman. Judging from the way the people rushed to greet her as she landed, she was apparently well known in the village.

She was in her late forties, with only a few lines of age near her eyes and mouth. Yet the eyes were empty and the smile was strained—the telltale signs of a freshly inflicted sorrow. The village leader stepped from the crowd, offered her his hand, spoke to her in a quiet, respectful manner. 

A widow. The Reniards could practically smell it on her.

The mirror began to glow ruby-red. They peered at it in growing excitement.

“By all the gods…”

“Such grief, such misery...”

“And I think I detect some guilt there. _Great_ guilt.”

“She’s _perfect_.”

“But she isn’t from this village.”

“We’ll follow her. Make our move tonight, when she’s alone.”

“But how will we keep her alive?”

The tall Reniard smiled wickedly, and pulled a small black box from the folds of his cloak. “Leave that to me.”

 

***

Chi-Chi stood inside the empty hut. Her arms hung limply at her sides, as she stared at the futon in front of her. 

So this was where he where he stayed while he was training Uub. She could hardly imagine anyone living in such a small place; even Grandpa Gohan’s house had been a palace in comparison. Then again, Goku never needed much to get by. He was a simple man.

 _Was._ Past tense.

 Her legs turned to lead. She sank down on the futon and reached out a trembling hand to stroke the sheets. Froze, horrorstruck, as she spotted specks of blood. His blood.

This was where he died.

She had come on the pretense of retrieving anything that he might have left behind. She already knew there was nothing to take; Gohan and Goten had cleaned it out weeks ago. She just needed see to the place for herself. 

It was her first actual visit to Uub’s island. All of the villagers offered her condolences, told her how much they had admired and respected her husband. The kindness was too much to bear when she knew she didn’t deserve any of it.

She could just imagine how he looked, lying here as his life slowly and excruciatingly drained away. The spark of guileless black eyes fading as he asked for her, over and over again: _“Is Chi-Chi coming?”_

_He needed me. And I wasn’t there._

She choked back a sob, thinking about that last terrible night he’d been at their house. Those awful, unforgivable things she said to him…

 

_The Ox-King had a massive heart attack. He’d been rushed to the hospital in the hospital where he lay in a coma. Given his age for a man his size, the doctors were uncertain of his chances. Depending on how soon he awoke, his condition could stabilize or worsen._

_Chi-Chi was a basketcase. She spent every moment she could at her father’s bedside, praying for mercy. She couldn’t imagine a world without her father. He was the one that had always been there for her. His love and support had kept her going through all her ordeals: Goku’s deaths, Gohan’s kidnapping, all the times she had been left behind while her family went off to save the planet…If he died, there was no way she could survive._

_Her sons rallied around her. Gohan and Videl, ever dependable and responsible in a crisis. Goten, trying to help as best as he could._

_And Goku never left her side._

_The minute he got the news, he’d rushed home from Uub’s island to be with her. He sat with her at the hospital. He took over cooking for him and Goten, tried to help with the household chores. Everything a husband ought to do in this time of need._

_Chi-Chi hated it._

_When it came to housework, Goku was completely incompetent—or so it seemed in her critical eyes. He wasn’t thorough enough with the dishes, he burned food, and his cleaning wound up making a bigger mess that was there in the first place. Even the sight of him constantly hovering around irritated her to no end. And beneath that annoyance simmered a residual anger: that it had taken a heart attack to tear him away from his precious training for more than a few days at a time._

_It all came to a head one late one night, a week since Ox-King had been in the hospital. She was in their room, trying to get some rest after another long day at the hospital. Goku was still downstairs, washing the dishes from a huge family dinner from hours ago._

_Suddenly, there was a large crash. Alarmed, she leapt out of bed and ran down the stairs two at a time. Goku was kneeling over the kitchen floor, hurriedly retrieving fragments of a plate._

_Chi-Chi sighed through clenched teeth. Typical of Goku to break a dish. She bent down to pick up a piece close to her feet…then stopped as she recognized the intricate design._

_“This is our wedding china,” she said quietly._

_“I know, I know,” Goku said apologetically._

_“Our_ wedding _china.” Her father had given it to them. It was the same china from her parents’ own wedding—another memento of her dead mother that she had cherished. And now it was broken. “You used our_ wedding china _for dinner tonight?!”_

_“You said it was a special dinner,” he tried to explain. “I wanted to make everything look n—”_

_He broke off with a yelp as she slapped him hard across the face. “_ ONE THING _!” she screamed, enraged. “I ask you to do_ ONE SIMPLE THING _, and you can’t even do that!”_

_“I’m sorry,” he muttered, hanging his head._

_“Sorry isn’t good enough!” she snarled. “My father could be dying, and you have go and break our wedding china!” She burst into tears._

_Goku tried to hug her, but she smacked him away. She couldn’t stand to have him touch her, not now._

_“Please don’t cry,” he whispered helplessly. “Your dad’s gonna be all right…”_

_“How do you know?” she scoffed. “Are_ you _a doctor, Goku?” She laughed bitterly at that. “No, of course you’re not. Too bad I_ didn’t _marry a doctor instead, we’d all be a lot better off!”_

_“Chi-Chi…”_

_“Dad wouldn’t have had a heart attack if it weren’t for you! All the years he’s been worrying about me, lending me money, helping me support this family—it’s ruined his health!”_

_“That’s not true!” he cried, stricken._

_“Oh yes it is!” she ranted on. The worry and frustration bottled inside her for the past week spilled out, muddled with years of pent-up resentment. “I’m surprised_ I _didn’t get a heart attack years ago after everything you put me through! You’re always breaking everything, always fighting, always eating—that’s all you Saiyans do! Thank Kami Gohan and Goten are more human than you are!"_

_He backed away from her, his shock on his face identical to when Piccolo shot a beam through his chest all those years ago. It only made her angrier. How dare he act hurt when her world was falling apart?_

_“Why couldn’t you have just stayed dead?” she burst out. “Everything was easier when you weren’t around! You’ve been nothing but a burden to me, and I don’t know why I ever wanted you back!”_

_Goku just stood there. His face was pale, and his wide black eyes were full of pain. He opened his mouth and closed it several times until he let out a weak, croaking sound. “I’m…I’m sorry.”_

_She stared at him, shaking her head in pure disgust. That was all he could say? “It’s too late for sorry, Goku. Get out.”_

_He didn’t move._

_“Get out!” she repeated fiercely. “And do me a favor and don’t come back this time!”_

_He shook his head. “Don’t do this…”_

_But she wasn’t caving. Not this time, not ever again. “Out!”_

Chi-Chi’s heart gave a twist. She covered her ears, shaking her head as if to shake away that horrible memory and take back those awful words. 

Ox-King came out of his coma the next day. It was still touch-and-go, but he was on his way to recovery. Goku came to the hospital with Gohan and Videl to visit. The second he saw Chi-Chi, however, he couldn’t get out of the room fast enough.

At the time, she stifled the growing pang of remorse for the way she treated him. She didn’t didn’t have the time or patience to deal with it right now. Instead, she focused her attention entirely on helping her father. Goku stayed with Gohan and Videl for the remainder of his visit, and returned to Uub’s island once Ox-King was stabilized.

Had she paid more attention, she might have noticed how stiff and aloof Goten seemed around her, might have wondered if he had overheard his parents fight…

Right when her father was due to return to his kingdom, a new threat came to Earth. She wasn’t aware of the details—just another bunch of aliens invading the planet. All she knew was that Gohan and Goten rushed off to meet their father, Vegeta, Piccolo, Uub for another big battle.

Then the unimaginable happened. And Chi-Chi made what was possibly the worst decision she had ever made in her life.

 

_“Mom! Grandpa!” A chalk-faced Goten burst into the Ox-King’s castle. His gi was torn, covered in blood and sweat._

_“Goten!” Chi-Chi rushed over to him. “Thank Kami you’re all right! Where’s Gohan?”_

_Goten shook his head fervently. “You have to come with me! Right now! Please!”_

_“What is it?” Ox-King asked, hobbling over to them. “What’s happened?”_

_“Dad…” Goten began to cry. He was nearly eighteen, as tall and strong as his father, yet his anguish reduced him to a frightened little boy. “Dad’s dying!”_

_Chi-Chi’s insides turned to ice._

_“What?” Ox-King gasped._

_Goten was trembling so hard that he was barely able to speak in complete sentences. “Those things…poisoned darts…he got hit…no cure…all my fault!”_

_“What about the dragon balls?” Ox-King asked. “Can’t they cure him?”_

_“There’s no time,” Goten swallowed. “And Dende couldn’t heal him either.” Making an effort to steady himself, he turned to his mother. “Gohan’s got him back at the island. Everyone’s coming…they all want to say good-bye. The healer at Uub’s says he’s got maybe an hour. We have to hurry!”_

_Chi-Chi was paralyzed with denial. This couldn’t be happening. She barely had any time to enjoy the relief of her father’s recovery, and now there was this new blow._

_“No,” she whispered. “I can’t go.”_

_Both Goten and Ox-King were stunned. “What do you mean you can’t go?” Goten demanded._

_“I just can’t,” she said in a louder voice. “I can’t leave your grandpa.” It was a terrible excuse, but she couldn’t deal with this now. The thought of facing Goku after what she said made her stomach writhe in knots._

_“Honey, I’m fine,” Ox-King insisted. “This is important. Goku needs you. I’ll come too…”_

_“No!” Chi-Chi cut him off sharply. “Neither of us are going anywhere. The doctor told you to take it easy. You’re still weak, and you don’t any more stress.”_

_“But Dad—!” Goten protested._

_“Will be fine, I’m sure,” Chi-Chi declared with more conviction than she felt._

_“Didn’t you hear me?! He—is—DYING!” Goten started shaking again, this time with frustration. “Mom, please…he’s been asking for you.”_

_Her breath caught in her throat. She looked from her worried father to her desperate son. For a second, her resolved wavered. Then she shook her head. “I can’t.”_

_Goten stared at her, his eyes wide and incredulous. “Mom.” He made one last plea.  “It’s_ Dad _.”_

_“Then you should go back,” she replied softly._

_The look he gave her then…it was as if he no longer saw her at all…like she suddenly transformed into one of the monsters he just fought. Without another word, he left._

_“Go after him,” Ox-King urged her. “ I don’t know what’s been going on with you and Goku lately, but that isn’t important right now. He needs you.”_

_“I can’t do it,” she muttered. “I can’t watch him die.”_

_“Chi-Chi…” A pained expression crossed his face. He loved Goku like a son; he was his last connection to his departed old friend Grandpa Gohan. “Don’t you even want to say good-bye?”_

_“He won’t die,” she shook her head. “He’ll be fine.”_

_But she was wrong. Not less than an hour later, Goten and Gohan returned, their grim faces streaked with tears._

_Goku was gone._

Hot, bitter tears filled her eyes. She curled against the mattress, laying her head on the blood-speckled pillows. How she wished she had done this a month ago, when he was still in it. She imagined holding him in her arms, stroking his hair, and kissing him one last time…

Why, why, _why_ hadn’t she come? If she were the one dying, he would have come running in half a second. He would have forgiven her.

At least he hadn’t been alone. Gohan and Goten had been there, along with Videl, Pan, Uub, Piccolo, Dende, Krillin, Eighteen, Bulma, Vegeta, Master Roshi, Yamcha, Puar, Tien and Chou-zou…even Korin and Yajirobe had come out to say good-bye. He had been surrounded by all of his loved ones.

Still, it was cold comfort, knowing that the one person he wanted more than anything was her.

“Why weren’t you there?” their friends accused her at the funeral. “He asked for you over and over!”

They were right. She should have been there. Instead, she let him die thinking that she didn’t love him anymore.

“I’m sorry,” she sobbed quietly into the pillow. Remorse ripped through her heart, the pain so great she felt like she dying too. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…oh Kami, Goku, please come back, I didn’t mean it, I didn’t mean any of it, I love you so much…”

He couldn’t hear her now. The bed was empty, and the sheets were cold. Not a single trace of him remained.

He was gone. He would never come back.

And she wept alone.

***

It was dusk by the time she returned to Mount Pouzu. She hopped off Nimbus, giving it a little pat. “At least you don’t hate me, right?” she asked sadly.

She watched it zip off into the setting sun. With a weary sigh, she headed back into the house.

Normally, she would have been getting dinner ready at this time. She didn’t have the energy to make anything, let alone eat it. Anyway, there was no point in cooking when no one else was there: Goten moved out the day of Goku’s funeral.

 

 _“Goten, stop!” she pleaded, standing in the doorway of his room as he furiously stuffed his clothes into several bags._

_“I can’t stay here,” he muttered. “Not anymore.”_

_She clutched the doorframe for support. Her breath came in ragged gasps. She always knew Goten would leave the nest someday, but not like this._

_“You ought to be happy,” he went on coldly. “Maybe now you can marry a rich doctor.”_

_She stared at him in horror, the meaning of his words sinking in. “Oh Kami…you heard me that night, didn’t you?”_

_“The whole mountain probably heard you!” he retorted._

_“Goten…” She valiantly tried to hold back her tears. “That night…the things I said…I didn’t mean them…I swear to Kami, I didn’t!”_

_“Yeah, you did,” he retorted coldly. “You wanted Dad out of your life so bad…well, now you got your wish, didn’t you?”_

_“It wasn’t like that!” she cried. “I love your father!”_

_“If you loved him at all, you would have been there.”_

_“I just…” Her frazzled mind fumbled for excuses. “I didn’t really think he would die. I didn’t want to watch him die. I thought it would be easier…”_

_Goten nailed her with an icy glare. “Easier for_ him _or for_ you _?”_

_“I didn’t…I didn’t think…”_

_“No, you didn’t.” He pushed past her and headed out into the hallway._

_She chased after him. “Goten, please…your father wouldn’t have wanted….”_

_“HE WANTED YOU THERE!” he whirled on her, his face contorted in pure rage. The house started to shake. His eyes flashed teal, and his shaggy hair stood on end._

_“He was dying, and all he wanted to do was see you! He kept asking me and Gohan when you were coming…and we were so sure you’d change your mind that we kept lying. We said you’d be there soon…but at the end, he knew. He knew….”_

_His face crumpled. The aura faded. He collapsed to the floor, weeping._

_Chi-Chi sank to her knees in anguish, picturing Goku’s face when she realized he wasn’t coming. That same pale, heartbroken look she’d seen that night._

_“Oh Goten…” she whispered, reaching out to embrace her inconsolable son._

_“No!” he spat, flinching from her gentle hands. “Don’t touch me again!” He shot to his feet, grabbed his bags, and marched out the door._

_She grabbed his arm in a futile attempt to keep in on the ground. “Don’t do this!”_

_His tearstained face hardened. “That’s what Dad said that night. You didn’t listen to him, so why should I listen to you?”_

_“I know what I did was wrong! I wish to Kami I could take it all back. But I’m your mother!   We’re a family! We have to stick together; we have to forgive each other!”_

_“Then I guess that means I really am more your son than his, huh, Mom?”_ _With that, he flew away, leaving a devastated Chi-Chi in his wake._

 

She hadn’t seen him since. She heard from Gohan that he was staying at Capsule Corporation with Trunks until he could find his own place. Goku’s death had also motivated him to get back into martial arts; he had taken it on himself to help Piccolo and Vegeta train Uub.

Things between her and Gohan had also changed. Her visits to his house were thick with unspoken tension. Every smile he gave her was strained. When he spoke, it was in a voice too bright to have any genuine warmth. Goten told him everything. He never said anything out loud and he didn’t have the heart to cut his own mother out of his life, but Chi-Chi knew that he blamed her too.

She leaned miserably against the kitchen counter. Replayed that terrible scene in her mind, how she ripped out his heart and stomped all over it.

He didn’t deserve that. He might not have been a perfect husband, but he tried so hard to be good. He wasn’t really a burden—the burden itself had been losing him over and over.

Maybe Goten was right. Maybe that was the real reason she hadn’t come to his deathbed. Part of her—a small, petty part of her—thought that it would be easier to cut ties with Goku, save herself from experiencing that grief again.

It had all been for nothing. The grief was a million times worse than before, knowing the last things she ever said to him had been so hateful. She had to carry that for the rest of her life. 

A life she now had didn’t seem worth living, now she alienated herself from everyone else she cared about. Goten hated her. Gohan could barely look at her. Her friends shunned her. Even little Pan looked at her with reproach.  

Only her father stood by her. He knew how badly she was suffering for her actions. “I’m sure he knew you didn’t mean it,” he told her. “Don’t give up hope. Sometimes the universe has a way of working itself out.”

He wouldn’t be there forever. Once he was gone, she would have no one left. Not unless Gohan and Goten found it in their hearts to forgive her.

And what about Goku? If she ever saw him in the afterlife, would he even _want_ her anymore after she hurt him so badly?

She felt another crying jag was coming on. Kami, she was so sick of crying. What was the point? It wouldn’t fix anything. Nothing would.

 _I just want to be with him again,_ she thought brokenly.

“I can arrange that.”

Rattled, she turned around to see a tall, cloaked figure. It advanced closer to her, removing its hood to reveal a creature with sickly yellow skin and bright green eyes. 

“Who are you?” she demanded, crouching into a defensive pose. “How did you get into my house?”

“I have come to offer you a gift.” He drew out a small black box from his cloak.

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “Whatever it is, I don’t want it!”

“Oh, I think you do.” He held it out to her.

The box began to glow red. A strange, dreamy sensation went through her body…and suddenly she saw herself reaching out to take it from the alien. She blinked and tried to pull back, but her hands seemed to have a mind of their own. 

_Take it. You want it._

It was warm to the touch, glowing brighter than before. Despite every instinct that screamed for stop, curiosity compelled her to open it.

 Overwhelmingly sweet-smelling smoke was sprayed right in her face. Everything went black.

***

“I didn’t mean to hit her that hard.”

“Don’t beat yourself up, Pikon. She should have known better than to try to take on a stronger opponent. Typical novice mistake.” 

“You’ve got to hand it to her: she is persistent.”

“Well, look who she’s married to.”

“Where _is_ he anyway?”

“Oh, you know, wandering around somewhere. Baba went to fetch him.”

“He won’t be happy about this…”

 The voices faded in and out, almost like a radio that needed to be tuned. Chi-Chi could hardly make sense of them. She tried to move, and instantly felt a needle-sharp pain burst through her head.

“Hang on, she’s coming to.” A bright light shone over her, forcing her eyes open. “Hello? Can you hear us?”

She was lying on a cot. Several blurred shapes were leaning over her, the nearest one a bright green color. That was strange.

She gingerly sat up, rubbing her head. What just happened to her? She struggled to remember, but her head was hurting so badly that she could hardly think straight.

“I’m sorry about that,” the bright green blur said, touching her arm. “Are you all right?” 

“I think so…” she mumbled absently. As she turned to look at the speaker, the shape came into sudden sharp focus to reveal a reptilian face with big lips.

She screamed.

“Easy, easy!” A squat, blue creature with sunglasses and antenna attempted to placate her. Standing off to the side was a wizened-looking man—or whatever it was—with pointy ears and sunglasses.

She scrambled off the cot, looking frantically. This wasn’t her house. It was some sort of hospital wing, run by even more strange-looking creatures. Even her “nurse” was a purple-skinned female with pointed ears.

“Who are you?” she shrieked. “Where am I?”

The three exchanged alarmed looks. “Oh crap,” the blue creature muttered to himself. “Crap, crap, crap, crap…” He took a deep breath. “Chi-Chi…”

“How do you know my name?” she demanded.

“Oh good, she remembers her name!” the purple nurse said brightly. “That’s a good sign.”

If that was meant to set Chi-Chi at ease, it wasn’t working. “Who are you people?” she repeated fiercely. “How do you know me?" 

“It’s all right, Chi-Chi,” the blue creature went on. “No one is going to hurt you. I’m King Kai…”

 King Kai? The familiar name put her at ease, albeit slightly. So this was Goku’s master in the afterlife. While she never met him before, Goku talked about him all the time.

She suddenly felt awkward, realized she just made a rather embarrassing first impression. “Oh.” She held out her hand in an attempt to salvage her dignity. “Well…it’s nice to finally meet you, I guess.”

“Um, yeah…” He shifted uncomfortably. “You actually just met me an hour ago.”

“I did?” She was confused. “I don’t remember that.”

“You might not remember much at the moment,” the purple nurse explained in a voice far too bright for the situation. “You got a nasty bump on your head from that fight." 

Fight? She was even more confused. What fight? She wasn’t in a fight.

“Wait…” She turned to King Kai. “What are you doing on Earth, anyway?” 

“Oh, this isn’t Earth, dear,” the purple nurse supplied. “You’re on Grand Kai’s planet.”

Chi-Chi’s eyes widened in shock. “Grand Kai’s planet?!” Her pounding head struggled to make sense of this. “You mean in Other World? How can I be in Other World when I’m not even dead?”

Another uncomfortable look. Apparently, it fell on King Kai to deliver the blow:

“Well, actually…you _are_ dead.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is a little short, but hopefully you'll enjoy it all the same!

“Dead?”  Chi-Chi laughed in disbelief.  This had to be some kind of joke.  Goku always said King Kai told terrible jokes.

 

“It’s no joke,” King Kai replied, as if he could read her mind (and he probably was).

 

“You weren’t be here if you weren’t dead,” the old man next to him spoke up.  “The living are not permitted in this realm unless 

 

“But I’m not dead!” she snapped.

 

“Easy, Chi-Chi,” King Kai warned.  “You’re talking to the Grand Kai.  This is his planet.”

 

“Oh.”  With an effort, she reined herself in.  “Nice to—oh, I guess we’ve already met too, haven’t we?”

 

He nodded back curtly.

 

She took a deep breath, struggling to remain calm.  “Look, I know I don’t remember coming here, but I’m sure I would remember _dying_ , for goodness sake!”

 

“All right, then what _do_ you remember?” King Kai asked gently.

 

That was a good question.  Chi-Chi frowned, thinking hard.  She remembered going to Uub’s island and being in Goku’s hut.  She remembered flying back to her house on Nimbus…but after that it was just a big blur.  To tell the truth, she had a hard time remembering before she woke up in this place.

 

 “Well,” she said slowly, “Goku had just died…”

 

King Kai raised his eyebrows.  “That was thirty years ago.”

 

“ _THIRTY YEARS_?” she shrieked, nearly falling over.  “You’re telling me it’s been thirty years?!  That would make me eighty!  Look at me, I’m not eighty, I’m only…”

 

She stopped short as she looked down at herself.  Her arms were smoother, her entire body more toned.  It hadn’t been in this good shape since she’d had Gohan.  She couldn’t feel any wrinkles on her face and her hair was perfectly black, without a strand of gray to be seen.

 

It couldn’t be…

 

She ran to the nearest mirror in the room and stared in wonder at her youthful reflection.  She didn’t look eighty…but she definitely didn’t look fifty anymore.  Yet the surprise soured when she noticed the halo hovering right over her head.

 

“No,” she muttered to herself in growing horror.  “No, no, no, no…this can’t be happening!  I’m not ready to die!”

 

“That’s what they all say,” the nurse pointed out with a sigh.

 

“You’re not helping!” Chi-Chi snarled back.

 

“All right, all right, calm down,” King Kai tried to reassure her.  “Can you remember anything else?”

 

She kneaded her forehead with her fist, trying to focus on her last clear memory: standing alone in the kitchen, missing Goku, wishing that she were with him…

 

A strange foreboding came over her.  Something else happened after that, something very important.  But what was it?  She screwed her eyes shut, concentrating with all her might. 

 

Nothing.  She groaned and sank against the wall.

 

“There, there,” the nurse said kindly, coming over to her.  “It’s going to be all fine…”

 

“No, it won’t!” Chi-Chi wailed, burying her face in her hands.  “I’m dead and I don’t even remember how or why!  I don’t understand a thing that’s going on here!”

 

“Oh great,” she heard a familiar cross voice utter.  “What’s the crisis now?”

 

“Baba!” King Kai sounded relieved.  “Thank goodness you’re here.  Did you bring…?”

 

“Chi-Chi?”

 

Chi-Chi’s head shot up.  She stared past Fortuneteller Baba, floating into the room on her crystal ball, to the other newcomer: a tall, spiky-haired, man in a green gi that stood hesitantly in the doorway.

 

 _Goku_. 

 

Joy exploded in the pit of her stomach.  She pushed herself off the floor, ran past the others, and flung herself onto him with such force that it nearly knocked him off his feet. 

 

“Goku,” she murmured into his chest—that warm, wonderfully solid chest.  There was so much she wanted to say, but she was too overwhelmed to say anything other than his name.  “Goku, Goku, Goku, Goku…”

 

He didn’t hug her back.  He just stood there, stiff and awkward in her arms.  She pulled away, euphoria fading slightly.  He tried to smile at her, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

 

The memory of that last night hovered over them like a dark cloud. 

 

This was the part where she was supposed to apologize.  It was long overdue.  Yet she suddenly remembered the presence of the others.  She didn’t want to her air out her marital problems in public—certainly not in front of the Kais.

 

Her hands slowly dropped from his shoulders.  Flushing, she looked away only to be met by Baba’s hard, shrewd gaze.  She had been there when Goku died; she knew exactly what happened between them. 

 

Fortunately, nobody else in the room seemed notice the sudden tension.  Grand Kai and King Kai were in the middle of a heated discussion with each other: “Tell him!”  “No, you tell him, you’re his mentor!”

 

“Pikon, what’s going on?” Goku asked, turning to the reptilian-looking man.  “Baba said it was an emergency.”

 

“Yes.”  The reptilian man grimaced.  “I’m afraid it was my fault…”

 

“It was nobody’s fault,” Grand Kai cut in.  “Accidents always happen in fights.”

 

Goku looked at Chi-Chi with wide eyes.  “You fought Pikon?”

 

“I did?” Chi-Chi asked, equally bewildered.

 

“We did,” confirmed Pikon.

 

This revelation left her even more perplexed.  Her martial arts days were long over.  “Why would I fight you?”

 

 “Wait, you don’t _remember_ it?” Goku asked, struggling to keep with the conversation.

 

“No,” she confessed.  “I don’t remember anything.”

 

“What?”

 

“Hold on!” Grand Kai bellowed, busting up the confusion.  “Just settle down and I’ll start at the beginning!”  He exhaled.  “Your wife came to the planet a little while ago.  She heard you were here and wanted to see you.”

 

Chi-Chi listened carefully, hoping whatever he said would trigger her memory.  If she was really dead, it would make sense that the first thing she would do was track Goku down.

 

“Actually, she seemed to think she was going to _stay_ here with you.”  There was a hint of condescension in his voice.  “I had to inform her that none of the warriors here live with their families.”

 

 _What?_    Her body stiffened in dismay.

 

“Rules are rules,” he went on defensively.  “Families can visit anytime they want, but if I let one of their wives stay here, I’d have to let _all_ of their wives and families stay here.  It wouldn’t be fair to the others.  I tried to explain that to her, but she wouldn’t listen.”

 

Well, _that_ certainly sounded like something she would do.

 

“She kept saying if she was good enough to keep her body in the afterlife, then she was good enough to stay here too.  When I told her that this part of Other World was reserved for fighters only, she claimed that she used to be a fighter; she said she’d start training again if it meant she could stay here. 

 

“Then I…”  He hesitated, taking an uncomfortable glance at Goku.  “Well, no offense, but from what I could gather from her ki, I thought this place was a little… _out of her league_.”

 

“ _Excuse me?”_ Chi-Chi exclaimed indignantly.

 

“You’re wrong!”  Goku glared at him.  “Chi-Chi’s strong.”

 

Her heart skipped a beat at his defense of her.  She tried to catch his eye with a smile, but he wasn’t looking at her.

 

“She got pretty riled up about that,” Grand Kai continued ruefully.  “She’d said she’d be more than happy to take any of my fighters on.”

 

That again sounded like something she would say. 

 

“So I said if she beat Pikon in a match, then she could stay here—”

 

“And he knocked her out in five seconds flat?” Baba asked sardonically.

 

“More like five minutes.”

 

Chi-Chi’s face burned in embarrassment.  Although she couldn’t help feeling a bit of pride that she lasted that long…especially considering how long it had been since she had been in a proper fight.

 

“She was quite good, actually,” Pikon complimented her with an appraising look.  “Goku’s right: she is strong.  She held her own very well.  She might have lasted longer if she could teleport…”

 

“ _Anyway_ ,” Grand Kai said irritably, “we brought her to the hospital wing to make sure she was all right…and it appears the injury resulted in some memory loss.”

 

“What does that mean?” Goku asked, concerned.

 

“It’s not total amnesia,” the nurse stepped in.  “She remembers who she is and all that…but she claims she doesn’t remember anything after your death.”

 

Goku turned to Chi-Chi, awkwardness temporarily forgotten.  “Really?”

 

She shook her head helplessly.  “I don’t even remember dying.”

 

“Oh man…”  He rubbed the back of his head.  “But can’t you heal her?”

 

“I’m afraid it isn’t that simple,” the nurse explained.  “There’s never been a case of this happening in Other World.  We can heal physical injuries, but we can’t always fix the damage.  Even in the afterlife, the mind is a delicate thing.”

 

“You mean I won’t _ever_ remember?” Chi-Chi cried in horror.

 

 “No, I’m not saying that,” the nurse said quickly.  “Your new body are sturdier than your old ones, and that might help speed up the healing process.”

 

“But there’s nothing else you can do?” she asked bleakly.

 

“I can consult my crystal ball for a cure,” Baba piped up.  “Something might pop up.”

 

“Other that, I don’t know what to tell you,” King Kai shook his head with a sigh.  “We’re really sorry about this…but you never know.  There’s always a chance you’ll remember on your own.”

 

“Oh Kami….”  Chi-Chi sank onto one of the cots, cradling her aching head.  Her denial had finally weakened, leaving her dazed and vulnerable.  This was no mistake.  She was really was dead. 

 

 _Dead_.  The finality descended with a sickening weight, making the ground shift under her feet.  She tried to take deep breaths.  _Do dead people even breathe?_ she wondered with a crazy urge to giggle.

 

“She ought to go get some rest,” the nurse declared firmly.  “Dying and losing your memory at the same time is quite an ordeal.”

 

“Right.”  Goku came over and gently took her by the arm.  “Come on, Chi-Chi…”

 

“Now wait a minute!” Grand Kai cleared his throat.  “There’s still the matter of her staying here.  What happened was an unfortunate accident, but since technically she lost the match…”

 

Everyone glared at him.

 

 He immediately backtracked to save face.  “Well…considering the situation…perhaps I can make an exception.  At least for now.”

 

Chi-Chi didn’t hear him.  She was so lost in shock that she didn’t even notice where Goku was taking her.

 

She didn’t feel twenty, fifty, or even eighty at the moment.  She felt as small and scared as a little girl.

 

Her life was over.  And she couldn’t even remember the rest of it.


	3. Chapter 3

The bed was first thing Chi-Chi was aware of when she awoke.   The softness of the mattress, the warmth of the sheets…it all felt much like home, right down to the scent of her fabric softener.  For a split second, she swore she was back in her old bedroom.  Had it all been a dream?

 

No, she realized, slowly taking in her surroundings.  This wasn’t her house at all.

 

The room did bear a strong resemblance to her bedroom: it had the same closet, the same bathroom, and even the same carpet.  There were, however, a few minor differences.  One of them was the large window over the bed, draped with the finest gossamer curtains.

 

The other was the couch on the other side of the room, upon which Goku was curled up, fast asleep.

 

She stared at him for a long time, and then turned around to peek beneath the curtains.  A spectacular sight greeted her: a brilliant pink sky stretching over a lush green land.  Several cabins were scattered around here and there.  In the further distance, she could make out a magnificent palace that was large enough to dwarf even her father’s castle.

 

She hadn’t dreamed it.  She was on Grand Kai’s planet.  She was dead.

 

She rubbed her head.  It was still sore, though it didn’t hurt as much as the other—day?  Night?  How _did_ time pass in the afterlife?

 

 _But that’s what you wished for, wasn’t it?_ a voice in her head taunted her.  _You just wanted to be with Goku again, remember?_

 

Yes, she did want that.  But not like this.  She didn’t want to skip ahead thirty years.  She wanted to watch Pan grow up, Gohan and Videl to have more children, and maybe even Goten’s wedding (if he ever settled down)…

 

Then again, she probably _had_ seen those things.  She just didn’t remember them.

 

Thinking of her family sent a jolt through her stomach.  Where they all right?  She sighed to herself.  They were probably fine.  In thirty years, they were probably all grown up on their own.  They wouldn’t need her anymore.

 

 _Do they even miss me?_ she wondered sadly.  _They can’t still be mad at me after so long…could they?_

 

She wished she could remember.  It would be much easier to let go if she knew that she and Goten made up.

 

A muffled snore snapped her attention back to Goku.  Heart thudding madly, she slipped out of bed and crept over to the couch.  Carefully, she sat down beside him, drinking in his peaceful face. 

 

This must be his room, his cabin.  She vaguely remembered him taking her here after they left the palace.  She’d been in too much shock to say anything to him; she only curled up on the bed, shivering uncontrollably until she’d finally fallen asleep. 

 

He didn’t hover over her like he’d done when her father was in the hospital.  Instead, he gave her space.  Let her have his bed.  Even tucked her in before going to sleep on the couch.

 

Tears filled her eyes.  She stroked his cheek—the same one she’d slapped all those years ago.  Desire flickered through her to kiss him awake, but the memory of their awkward reunion stopped her short.

 

He hadn’t been excited to see her at all.  Just… _uncomfortable_.

 

Could she blame him?  It had been thirty years, and the last thing she ever said to him was…

 

 _Enough,_ she told herself firmly.  _That’s in the past._ She was dead, and there was nothing she could do about that.  But if there was one good thing about this whole mess, it was that they were together.  They could work things out; they had been through rough times before, and made it through.

 

He stirred at her touch, his black eyes fluttering open.  His face softened briefly, like he was seeing her for the first time.  It was that look he used to give her in their intimate moments: that tender, intense gaze that left her breathless with longing.

 

Then he blinked, and the moment evaporated.  He sat up and looked away, rubbing the back of his head.  “Hey.”

 

“Hi,” she whispered back.

 

“How’re you feelin’?”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Do you…do you remember anything?” he asked tentatively.

 

She shook her head.  “No.  My head still kind of hurts, though.”

 

“Oh…”  His face softened again.  He reached towards her head, like he wanted to stroke her hair…but then a strange, guilty expression crossed his face, and he let his hand drop. 

 

They sat together in nervous silence.  After a while, she forced herself to ask, “Has it really been thirty years?”

 

He shrugged.  “I guess so.  Time’s really weird here.  It didn’t feel like seven years when I died before.”

 

“And…have you seen anyone else here?  Bulma or Krillin or…”

 

“Nope.”  A tiny smile, a mere shadow of his usual one.  “I don’t think they’re dead yet.”

 

“Right…”

 

More silence.

 

What was w _rong_ with her?  She had no problem weeping her heart out on his empty deathbed.  Yet now that he was actually within reach, words failed her.  All her tender remorse was trapped inside her throat, unable to escape.

 

“Goku…”

 

“How’s your dad?” he asked abruptly.

 

“Oh…he’s fine,” she replied, startled by the question.  “At least he _was_ doing fine, the last I remember.”

 

“He’s probably dead too, isn’t he?”

 

“I guess…”  If she had lived to be eighty, then he would be long gone by now.  He was somewhere in Other World too…probably with her mother.  Her heart gave a great leap.  Being dead meant she could finally see her mother!

 

The excitement must have shown on her face, because Goku was watching her intently.  “Do you…do you want to go see him?” he offered.

 

She almost said yes, until she realized how awkward that reunion might be, given her memory loss.  “No…I’d better wait until I remember more.”

 

“Oh.  Okay.”

 

She couldn’t take it anymore.  “I should have been there.”  The words came out in a breathless rush.  “I should have been there when you died.  I’m…I’m so sorry.”

 

“It’s okay,” he muttered.  He stared hard at the carpet, his broad shoulders hunched over.  She could almost feel the hurt radiating off his body.

 

“Goku,” she tried again, her heart twisting painfully.  “I never—”

 

“It’s okay,” he repeated.  “I get it.”

 

“No, you don’t.  Those things…”  Her voice cracked.  “Those things I said…”

 

“You were just being honest,” he cut her off.  “It’s fine.  Really.  You don’t owe me anything.”

 

Tears stung her eyes.  “But—”

 

He stood up so fast it almost gave her whiplash.  “Why don’t I show you around?  You oughta see the buffet, they have really good food…”

 

***

Did he have to be so damn _nice_?

 

He acted like nothing was wrong.  He took her on a tour of Grand Kai’s palace and fighting arena.  Introduced her to all his friends.  Chattered on and on about the big tournament held on the planet every century.

 

Yet there was still that barrier between them.  She could see how he forced his smiles, and heard the nervous tremor lurking underneath the bright voice.  Most troubling of all, he hadn’t touched one scrap of food when they stopped at the huge outdoor buffet.

 

Frankly, it was strange that the dead could still eat.  Still, to see _Goku_ with _no appetite at all_ was downright scary.

 

It wasn’t like she couldn’t understand his behavior.  He had every right to be wary of her.  But it still hurt.  He had always been so easy to make up with in the past; she never thought he was capable of holding a grudge.

 

 _It’s too late for sorry._   Her own words came back to haunt her.  Was this how _he_ felt, all the times he tried to apologize only to have her push him away? 

 

She also couldn’t help noticing how many female warriors there happened to be in Grand Kai’s population.  Very beautiful, powerful looking female warriors that made her feel like nothing in comparison.

 

Goku, for his part, greeted them as amicably as he did male friends.  Nothing in his behavior suggested even the slightest bit of interest.  She knew it was ridiculous to even think that way when he had never been anything but faithful to her.  And yet she couldn’t shake her misgivings.  Was this why he was acting so strange around her?  Was he trying to work up the nerve to break it to her gently?

 

The idea made her stomach churn.  It had always been her worst fear: Goku finding someone younger, stronger, and prettier—and right when she no longer had to worry about aging…

 

It was almost a relief when Baba tracked them down and interrupted the unspoken tension between them.

 

“I was thinking my crystal ball could help you,” she explained.  “Perhaps I can use it to search for events that happened in the past thirty years.  Seeing one of them might be able to trigger your memory.”

 

“That might work,” Goku nodded.

 

“Yeah, I guess it’s worth a shot,” Chi-Chi replied.  Privately, she was feeling a bit uneasy.  She didn’t know what to expect, seeing parts of her life that she had supposedly forgotten. 

 

“All right.  Let’s start with something recent.”

 

The three of them sat down on the grass.  Baba waved her hands around her crystal ball.  Instantly images began to form within the glass.

 

The first thing Chi-Chi saw was a beautiful young woman, with short dark hair, wearing a simple white gown and a veil.  She was arm-in-arm with Gohan, walking through a large crowd of people.

 

“Is that—?” Goku asked to ask.

 

“Pan!” Chi-Chi gasped.  She could hardly believe it: her little granddaughter was now a grown woman!  “This is Pan’s wedding?” 

 

“Wedding?”  Goku’s eyes widened.  “To who?”

 

The answer came when Pan let go over her father’s arm and shyly approached her groom: a tall, muscular dark-haired boy in traditional island garb.  Goku and Chi-Chi’s mouths dropped open.

 

“Uub!”

 

“Oh…”  She unconsciously grabbed Goku’s arm, her heart swelling with emotion. “Oh Goku, look!  She’s wearing my wedding veil!”

 

“He’s gotten so tall,” Goku said in wonder.  “And he looks so strong.”

 

“Piccolo and Vegeta were training him,” she found herself saying.  “And Goten’s been helping them too.”

 

“Goten?”  He turned to her incredulously.  “Really?  I thought he wasn’t interested in martial arts anymore.”

 

“Well, that was before…”  She bit her lip and turned back to the ball.

 

A montage of images swirled before them.  The ceremony on Uub’s island, the people cheering and throwing flowers as Pan and Uub shared their first kiss.  Gohan and Videl smiling proudly.  Goten holding hands with Marron, next to a boy and a girl.  _Their children,_ Chi-Chi realized with a bittersweet pang.  _They’re married and they have their own children.  I have more grandchildren…and I don’t even know them._

 

There was another person among with the family—an elderly woman that wept tears of joy.  She let out another gasp, this time of horror.

 

“Oh Kami, that’s _me_!”

 

It was a surreal experience, looking at this older version of herself.  She used to dread getting wrinkles, and now they were everywhere, shriveling her face like a raisin!  And her hair…not only was it gray, it was short!  She self-consciously touched her long black hair.  What on earth had possessed her to cut it?  Did she not even care about her own appearance anymore?

 

She glanced nervously at Goku.  She never wanted him to see her so old and dowdy.  Only he didn’t seem to mind at all.  He simply watched the scene unfold with a soft, forlorn expression on his face.

 

Pan and Uub together.  Once the shock wore off, it almost seemed like it was meant to be.  She had been taken with Uub ever since Goku brought him over for his first visit back in between training. 

 

_A memory came, although it wasn’t exactly a new one.  It was from before Goku’s death, when Ox-King was still recovering from his heart attack.  Gohan and Videl brought Pan over to the house for a visit…_

_“When do you think Grandpa’s coming back?” Pan asked, sitting in the kitchen while Chi-Chi was cleaning off the table._

_Chi-Chi felt the familiar squirm of guilt that any mention of Goku brought.  She shoved it down, giving the table a fierce swipe.  “I don’t know, honey.”_

_Pan was oblivious to her grandmother’s mood. “Do you think he’ll bring Uub again?”_

_“I don’t know, honey,” Chi-Chi repeated stiffly._

_“I like Uub!” the little girl prattled on.  “He’s so nice.  And he’s strong!” Her dark eyes shone and a blush colored her cheeks.  “Grandpa says he’s going to be even stronger someday, just like me!”_

_“I’m sure he will…”_

_She sat up straighter in her chair.  “I’m going to marry him someday!” she declared._

_Chi-Chi couldn’t help laughing with amusement.  “You can’t get married, sweetie.  You’re too young.”_

_“Not_ now _, Grandma!  When I grow up!”_

_She shook her head exasperatedly.  “You’re too young to think about those things now.”_

_“Why not?  You wanted to marry Grandpa when you were little, didn’t you?”_

_At any other time, Chi-Chi would have been charmed by the comparison.  But now it only agitated her.  “Don’t get your heart set on one boy right now.  There’s plenty of time for you to meet some others when you’re old enough.  You might like one of them just as much.”_

_“I will not!” Pan shook her head vehemently.  “Nobody is better than Uub!”_

Chi-Chi was suddenly glad her granddaughter had inherited her stubbornness.  She looked at the two of them now, all grown up…so happy and in love.  Dancing under the stars as the island wedding party went on far into the night. 

 

“Well?”  Baba looked at her expectantly.  “Anything coming back?”

 

Her throat constricted.  “No,” she sniffled.  Her emotions were all over the place.  The ceremony was overwhelmingly lovely, but it left her heart aching.  Her granddaughter was a married woman…and she couldn’t help feeling like she had missed it.

 

Watching it wasn’t the same as remembering.

 

Goku’s hand was pressing against her back.  The gentle, tentative touch was enough to hold her together.  He, more than anyone, understood how she felt.  He knew what it was like to miss out on crucial family moments.

 

She took a deep breath.  “I’m all right,” she whispered, placing her hand on top of his and giving him a watery smile.  His small returning smile lifted her spirits.

 

“Okay, going for recent events wasn’t the way to go,” Baba murmured, oblivious to their moment.  “Maybe we ought to try going further back, closer to Goku’s time of death.”

 

Goku’s smile died abruptly.  He let go of Chi-Chi’s hand and stood up.  “Right.  I’d better leave you to it.”

 

“You’re not staying?” Chi-Chi asked incredulously.

 

“I…um…I have training to do,” he muttered, looking away.

 

“Training?!”  Irritation flared up inside her.  She jumped to her feet. “ _Now_?  Don’t you want to see what’s been going on with our family?!”

 

“No, I do,” he said earnestly.  “It’s just…”

 

“What?” she snapped.

 

“I don’t wanna get in your way!” he burst out.

 

“But Goku…”

 

He hurried away. 

 

She could practically feel Baba’s hard eyes boring through her.  “I’ll bet you’re just _loving_ this, aren’t you?” she asked bitterly.

 

“Yes, I just _loved_ watching Goku mope around over the past thirty years,” was Baba’s tart reply.

 

Chi-Chi gritted her teeth.  “Look,” she growled, “I got enough of this back on Earth.  I made one stupid mistake in the heat of the moment when I thought _my father_ was going to die…”

 

Baba narrowed her eyes.  “So now you’re using your father as an excuse?”

 

“No!” Chi-Chi bristled.  “But I was upset!  I wasn’t thinking straight!  And he…he didn’t have to leave just because I told him to!”

 

The look Baba gave her could have withered an oak tree. 

 

Chi-Chi flushed in shame.  It was a low moment, blaming Goku for only doing what she told him to.  But she was sick and tired of everyone else judging her.  “Don’t you think I feel terrible enough…?”

 

“If you felt so bad about it, what didn’t you try see him _before_ he died?” Baba challenged her.

 

She was right.  There had been ample opportunities to reconcile while Goku had still been at home.  She could have seen him at Gohan and Videl’s house, tried to sort things out right then and there.  Had she asked, he would have stayed.  Instead, she pushed him away—over something so trivial as their wedding china.  She couldn’t even look at it after she glued it back together; it only reminded her of the price of her stupid pride.

 

All the righteous indignation drained out of her, and she sank back to the ground.  “Is there someone else?” she asked miserably.

 

“You’re joking, right?”

 

“Just tell me the truth.”  She was tired of the suspense.  If it was really over with Goku, she might as well hear it now and get it over with.

 

Baba rolled her eyes.  “No,” she said, every syllable dripping with condescension.  “There isn’t anyone else.  Not I’d blame him if there was.”

 

“Then why is he acting this way?” she demanded.  “If he wants to be mad at me, fine! But you saw him just now—he didn’t want to stay to watch everything he missed with _his own family_?”

 

“Maybe because he didn’t feel like watching you getting married to another person.”

 

Chi-Chi was so shocked she found herself laughing.  “What?  He thinks—no, that’s ridiculous!” More than ridiculous, it was unthinkable.  Unimaginable.  She loved Goku, only Goku.  She hadn’t even _considered_ remarrying during those seven years after the Cell Games.  Not to mention she had gotten her memory literally knocked out of her just for a chance to be with him.

 

 _How do you know?_ a voice in her head whispered.  _You have no idea what’s been going on until now._

 

Cold dread washed over her.  It wasn’t true, she thought desperately.  It couldn’t be true!  But without her memories, there was no way of knowing.

 

Trembling, she forced herself to look Baba in the eye.  “Did I?” she asked fearfully.

 

Baba stared at her for what felt like an eternity.  Then she sighed sharply through her nose.  “No, you didn’t,” she said grudgingly.  “As far as I know, anyway.”

 

 _Thank merciful Kami._   Chi-Chi sagged in relief, only to get angry all over again.  “Why would he think that?!  And why didn’t you tell him the truth?”

 

“I’m a fortuneteller, not a marriage counselor,” she said curtly.  “It’s not my job to fix your problems.  And you know damn well why he’d think that.”

 

Chi-Chi bit her lip as those cruel words echoed in her ears: _“Too bad I didn’t marry a doctor…I don’t know why I ever wanted you back!”_

 

“Anyway,” Baba continued, “I didn’t know for sure.  Maybe we ought to check for more memories, just to be safe.”

 

As she prepped the crystal ball, Chi-Chi reflected on Goku’s behavior, which suddenly made more sense.  No wonder he’d been so distant with her.  It wasn’t out of anger, it was because he thought she was off-limits now.

 

She wanted to laugh.  She had been scared that Goku fell in love with one of those strong, beautiful warriors…all the while, he assumed that she’d find herself a nice, normal human to marry.

 

“We’re both idiots,” she sighed ruefully.

 

“I won’t argue with that,” Baba muttered under her breath.

 

***

She tracked him down to a hill on the outskirts of Grand Kai’s training grounds.  It was a forested area that reminded her of the woods back home.  She fought off a pang of homesickness as she approached him, sitting in a cross-legged pose. 

 

He started when she cleared her throat.  “Did it work?” he asked anxiously.  “Do you remember anything?” 

 

“No.”  She drew in a breath.  “But that’s not important right now.  We have to talk.”

 

It was obvious he had been dreading this.  Nevertheless, he nodded.  “Okay.”  He stood upright, squared his shoulders, and set his face into a calm mask.  It was the way he always looked right before a battle.

 

She got right to the point.  “I didn’t marry anyone else.”

 

He blinked.  “You sure?”

 

“Positive.”  She and Baba went through countless other family events—birthday parties, anniversary, Goten’s wedding to Marron—and her older self remained determinedly single.

 

He couldn’t quite hide the flicker of hope in his eyes.  It died as quickly as it came.  “Maybe you should have,” he said quietly, hanging his head.  “I mean…you deserve to be happy.  You weren’t with me.”

 

Her throat tightened.  “That’s not true.”

 

He turned away.  “Yeah, it was.”

 

“No, it wasn’t,” she said adamantly.  “I only said those things because I wanted to hurt you.”  It was the first time she admitted out it loud, and the effort sent a sharp pain through her chest.  “Everything with my dad just made me feel so helpless.  Seeing him in the hospital, thinking he’d die any minute…”

 

“Because of me.”

 

She shook her head fiercely.  “That was a horrible thing to say.  You didn’t cause his heart attack; those things just happened.  I just needed someone to blame.  And it was wrong, and I am so, so, sorry.”

 

He whirled on her.  He abandoned the calm mask; all the sorrow he had repressed was on full display.  “Why didn’t you come?  I was dying, Chi-Chi.  _Dying_!  I didn’t care if you were still mad at me, I just wanted to see you!”

 

Tears welled in her eyes.  “I know,” she croaked.

 

“I _needed_ you.”  The raw desperation in his voice tore at her heart. 

 

It would be so easy to lie to him.  To cheat her way into absolution by making up an excuse that she tried to come and simply hadn’t made it on time.  Anything to ease his pain.  But she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

 

“I know,” she repeated weakly.  There was nothing she could say to excuse her actions except the awful truth: “I was a coward.”

 

There was nothing he could say to that.  He just turned back to the trees. 

 

“I wish I had come,” she whispered.  “Please believe me.  I might not remember, but I know I regretted it every single day for the rest of my life.  And I know I never stopped loving you.” 

 

Her eyes were fixed on his rigid back, the taut line of his shoulders.

 

She summoned her courage.  “You said you wanted me to be happy.  I’d be happiest with you.  Unless…”  She hesitated.  “Unless…unless you don’t want me.”

 

Silence. 

 

She closed her eyes, lest any tears spilled out. 

 

Strong arms seized her, enveloping her in warmth.  Hardly daring to believe it, she opened her eyes to find him holding her, caressing her, and burying his face in her hair. 

 

“I love you too,” he whispered in a muffled voice.  “I’ve missed you so much…I just want things to be good again.”

 

“Oh Goku!”  She threw her arms around him.  Tears finally broke free, but it was all right to cry now.  They were tears of the purest joy and deepest relief.  Joy that she had him back at last.  Relief that she had not driven him away forever. 

 

Something pounded against her ear as she leaned against his chest.  She blinked in amazement.  A heartbeat.  He was dead, and yet his heart was beating, as strong and resilient as it had ever been in life. 

 

It was incredible.  Was that part of keeping your body in the afterlife?  She tilted her head upward, about to ask him, only to have that question sent to the back of her mind by a long kiss.

 

***

It _must_ have been thirty years, she thought dreamily as they lay in bed many hours later.

 

In her mind, it still felt like only a month since his death—a long, agonizing month.  But her body—her rejuvenated Other World body—seemed to sense that it had been longer.  Even the gentlest touch seared her skin and sent her reeling.  And her newfound energy allowed her to respond with an ardent desire with the power of a thousand suns.  It was nothing like either of them had ever experienced before.  Not even their reunion after Majin Buu could compare to this passion.

 

They clung to each other for a long time afterwards, too exhausted and overwhelmed to speak.  Not that there was a need for words.  It was enough just to lie there, forehead to forehead.  To feel his warm, muscled body, snug and secure against her own.  Those beautiful black eyes, filled with such tenderness it almost made her break down all over again.

 

She felt whole again.  There was no other way to describe it.  Not even her lost memories troubled her at the moment—it only felt like a small bump in the road, one that could be easily fixed given time.  She didn’t need to worry about her family.  They were safe and happy.  That was all that mattered to her.

 

Beside, how was it anything but right to be in heaven with the man she loved?

 

“Chi-Chi?” he murmured.

 

“Mmm?”

 

“I’m…”

 

He tensed suddenly.  Words were never his strong suit.  He fumbled with them now, trying to find the right thing to say.  The mood was fragile; one wrong thing could spoil it all. All that he could muster was, “I’m…I’m really glad it wasn’t too late.”

 

Smiling, Chi-Chi cupped his face in her hands and drew him in for another deep kiss.  “Me too.”

 

 

_A tall, cloaked figure was standing in her kitchen.  It advanced closer to her, removing its hood to reveal a creature with sickly yellow skin and bright green eyes.  “I have come to offer you a gift.”  He drew out a small black box from his cloak._

_The box began to glow red.  A strange, dreamy sensation went through her body…and suddenly she saw herself reaching out to take it from the alien. Opening it._

_Smoke spraying in her face.  The world going black…_

_The next thing she knew, she was hanging over a bony shoulder.  What was going on?  She tried to move, but her arms dangled limply.  She couldn’t even lift her own head._

_“It worked?”_

_“Like a charm.”_

_“Quickly, back to the ship!”_

_A flicker of panic.  The alien in her house!  What had he done to her?  Where was he taking her?_

_The thought barely left her sluggish mind when her eyelids started to droop.  No, no, she had to stay awake!  She had to get away!  She tried to scream for Gohan or Goten or anyone._

They aren’t coming.  They won’t save you.

_Something jerked underneath her, and then they were flying in the air.  She grew lightheaded, watching the ground float further and further away…_

 

 

Chi-Chi woke with a gasp.  She sat up straight in bed, her mind full of what she had just experienced.  That dream was so vivid; she could still feel the hands that clutched her, still smell that sickly gas.

 

Panting, she looked wildly around the room for—for what?  Nobody else was there except for Goku, who was sound asleep beside her.

 

She began to shiver uncontrollably, clutching the sheets to her breast.  There it was, the same ominous feeling she had back at the hospital wing, when she was trying to remember.  _Something’s not right._

What was wrong with her?  She gave her head a little shake.  It was silly to let herself get rattled over a nightmare.  Her mind was playing tricks on her.  The bump on her head probably wasn’t helping matters…yes, that had to be it.

 

She huddled against Goku, pressing her cheek against his massive chest.  She held him so close that it felt like her skin would mold into his warmth.  Gradually, her body relaxed and the shivering subsided.

 

 _It was just a dream,_ she told herself firmly as his heartbeat lulled her back to sleep.  _It was just a dream._  

 


	4. Chapter 4

“Hello?” Gohan knocked on the door of the house.  “Mom?”

 

It was the late afternoon.  Work had just gotten out, and he thought he’d swing by Mount Pouzu to check on his mother.  Usually, she was the one to come over to visit, but according to Videl, she hadn’t stopped by all day.

 

That wasn’t so strange.  She didn’t visit as much as she used to.  Not since his father died.

 

Just thinking about that brought an ache to his heart, along with all the complicated emotions he’d been fighting lately.  It was bad enough to lose his father again, watching helplessly as he suffered the effects of that deadly poison.  Knowing that his mother turned his back on him when he needed her most was worse.

 

He’d known something was wrong from the minute his father showed up at his house that night when Grandpa Ox-King was in the hospital.  All he said was that his mother “needed space” and asked if he could stay with him for a while.  Of course Gohan had agreed.  While he tried to avoid asking any more questions, he more than anyone could sense the tension between his parents at the hospital.

 

He hated the thought of trouble between his parents, yet he tried not to worry about it.  He had his own family now; it was best not to get in the middle of his parents’ problems.  Surely, when his father came back for his next visit, they’d be able to work things out.  But then came that fateful last battle…

 

If only he had been the one to get her.  She might have listened to him.  Even now, Gohan still felt a surge of anger at the memory of an anguished Goten telling him how she had refused to come.  He should have gone right then and there: he should have carried her back to Uub’s island by force if he had to…

 

But he hadn’t.

 

Instead, he stayed with his father, doing his best to comfort him, promising him over and over that she was coming.  She had to be coming, he kept thinking.  She would rush over as soon as she came to her senses…

 

But she hadn’t. 

 

He shut his eyes.  Pressed his forehead against the closed door.  Fought the urge to break down right then and there.

 

He knew that his mother was suffering.  He knew that she regretted how she treated his father.  Only that didn’t stop him from being angry with her.  He couldn’t blame Goten for moving out either.

 

Still, she was his mother, and it was his responsibility to look after her.

 

He knocked on the door again.  “Mom?”

 

No answer. 

 

He let himself in with the spare key, looking around from the living room to the kitchen.  The house was completely empty.  Maybe she had gone out for a while, perhaps to visit Grandpa Ox-King again… 

 

Then his eyes fell on the sink, where two dirty dishes and a cup were stacked.  Judging from the dried crust on the plate, they might have been there since last night.

 

His mother _never_ left dishes in the sink before going out. 

 

Fear constricted his chest.  He ran out of the house and flew off to find Goten and the others.  Something was definitely wrong.

 

***

Chi-Chi dropped to the ground, sweaty and exhausted after the sparring match.  She ought to have been proud; despite the years out of practice, she’d still been able to block every single attack her opponent threw at her.  Yet for all her efforts, he didn’t seem the least bit winded.

 

“You’re letting me win,” she accused him with a suspicious glare.

 

Goku just grinned and plopped down beside her.  “I thought it was a draw.”

 

“You’re still holding back.  You didn’t even use any ki attacks.”

 

“I wanted it to be an even fight.”

 

“Even?” she repeated with a laugh. “Against _you_?” 

 

“Well, I could teach you how to use ki,” he suggested.  “If you want.”

 

“Hmm.”  She closed her eyes and leaned her head against his shoulder.  “I’ll think about it.”

 

It was hard to tell how long she had been on Grand Kai’s planet.  Time really was different in the afterlife.  It wasn’t hard to lose track of it when the days blended together in such blissful ease.  A year could have passed and she wouldn’t have minded one bit.  However long it had been, the place already felt like home.

 

At first, she and Goku hardly ever left the cabin.  Thirty years was a long time, even for them.  There was much to make up for.  She caught herself thinking that it was almost worth all the pain she caused to have such a wonderful reconciliation.  But the past was behind them now.  The tension was gone, hopefully forever, and Goku was back to his exuberant old self.

 

It had been her idea to take up martial arts again—partly because she was still riled by Grand Kai’s insult.  She didn’t care if he was a Kai, her pride wouldn’t let it pass.  She was determined to prove him wrong.  That way, if he happened to change his mind about letting her stay on the planet, she’d be more than ready for another fight.

 

Goku was more than happy to assist in training her.  It reminded her of their early days of their marriage.  While Chi-Chi wasn’t as enthusiastic about training as Goku, he could always talk her into a sparring match just for fun.  It used to be quite the turn-on for the two of them (and still was).  Then she got pregnant with Gohan, and her priorities changed.  She never regretted giving it up; it had been her decision, and Goku understood.  But she had to admit that it felt nice to get back into it. 

 

She noticed that Goku was making a considerable effort to spend more time with her.  Even after he resumed his training routine on the planet, his breaks were more frequent than they used to be.  Every so often, he’d stop and meet up with her someplace on the training grounds or their cabin.  The excuse was he wanted to make sure she was all right or that her head wasn’t acting up again. 

 

Although the concern was genuine, she suspected he still felt guilty for all his mistakes and was trying to be a better husband.

 

Which was sweet.  Completely unnecessary, but sweet.

 

“Chi-Chi?”  As if on cue, he asked the same anxious question that arose whenever they were alone together.  “Are you happy here?”

 

She squeezed his arm.  “Of course I am.  It’s just…you know.”

 

He nodded, knowing exactly what she meant.

 

Her memories still hadn’t returned.  It was the one thing that kept bothering her.  Some days, she could overlook it; she convinced herself they wouldn’t come back if she kept stressing over it.  And yet the more time she spent here, the more she craved those lost details of her life.  If only she could remember, everything would truly be perfect.

 

“I miss them too,” Goku said softly.  He stroked her hair, his fingers gingerly grazing the bump still present on her head.  “Gohan, Goten, Pan, and everybody…I didn’t _want_ to die again.”

 

“I know.”  She took a deep breath.  “How _did_ it happen, anyway?”

 

His brow furrowed in confusion.  “Nobody told you?”

 

 “Sort of,” she muttered, looking away.  “Just that you’d been poisoned.  I…I don’t really remember.”

 

The lie made her face burn.  Nobody had given her the details because none of their friends were speaking to her.  She just couldn’t bring herself to tell him that.  She hadn’t even told him about her fight with Goten.  Maybe she wouldn’t have to.  If what she’d seen in Baba’s crystal ball was true, they made up.  There was no point in upsetting Goku over something that been resolved long ago.

 

“Well…” Goku sighed and leaned back.  “These aliens came to Earth.  They were survivors of a race that the Saiyans wiped out a long time ago.  They heard that me and Vegeta were the only ones left alive, and I guess they wanted revenge. 

 

“They weren’t that strong, but they had this harpoon gun.  It was filled with this poison they had been working on.  It was supposed to be strong enough to kill a Saiyan.  We didn’t know about it then, we found out, you know, after…”

 

“Anyway, I saw one of them shot it at Goten.  He didn’t see it coming; he hadn’t trained in so long that he wasn’t quick enough to dodge it.  So I knocked him out of the way.”

 

“And it hit you,” Chi-Chi whispered, stunned.

 

He nodded.  “Vegeta and Uub were able to beat them back.  I think.  It gets kind of fuzzy after that.  It was just like when I had the heart virus…except there wasn’t a cure this time.”

 

Chi-Chi sat there, numb, as the story sunk in.  He got poisoned saving Goten.  Of _course_ that was how it happened.  That was how he always died: protecting his family. 

 

No wonder Goten was so distraught.  It wasn’t just grief, it was guilt.  How awful it must have been for him, thinking his father was dying because he wasn’t strong enough.  It was just like how Gohan blamed himself for not finishing off Cell when he had the chance.

 

 _“All my fault.”_   That was what he said, while he wept in Ox-King’s palace.  The guilt must have eaten him alive as he stood there, begging her to come see Goku before he died—and she refused.

 

The memory of him glaring at her with such hatred and disgust.  _“I guess I really am more your son than his after all.”_ He was right.  He took out his anguish on her, just like she’d done to Goku.  Like mother, like son.

 

Goku could see the conflict on her face.  “Hey.”  He tugged at her hair.  “Don’t get like that.  I didn’t wanna upset you.”

 

“No, I’m glad you told me,” she insisted.  “If I’d known…” 

 

 _If I’d known, I would have been there._   That’s what she wanted to believe, but deep down, she wasn’t so sure.  Her pride had blinded her so thoroughly.  Besides, it shouldn’t have mattered _how_ it happened.  She should have been there anyway.

 

She almost said this out loud, but he only squeezed her hand gently with an understanding smile.  _It’s all in the past._

 

“Well.”  She cleared her throat, fighting the urge to cry.  “Now I know why he started training again.  I guess…he felt like he owed it to you.”

 

 That made him frown.  “He didn’t have to.  I know he wasn’t that into fighting anymore.  He shouldn’t have done it just because he felt guilty.  It wasn’t his fault.”

 

“I’m sure that’s not the only reason,” she reassured him.  “He’s part Saiyan.  Fighting’s always going to be in his blood.  Even Gohan couldn’t give it up completely.”

 

“Guess not.”  He shrugged.  “It doesn’t matter if they keep fighting or not.  As long as they’re happy.”

 

“Goten _did_ look happy, didn’t he?  With Marron and their kids.”

 

“Yeah.”  He grinned.  “Me and Krillin really are family now, huh?”  His grin slipped several notches.  “Wish I could’ve been there.”

 

“Me too.  I mean, I _was_ there, I saw it in Baba’s crystal…”  She groaned in aggravation, rubbing the corners of her eyes.  “Oh, this is so confusing.  Why can’t I remember?”

 

 “You just can’t force it,” he reminded her.  “Remember what King Kai and the healer told you…”

 

“I know, I know,” she sighed, stretching out on the grass.  “Just relax and let it happen naturally.  They’re probably right.”  She stared up at the pink sky.  “But…what if it doesn’t?”

 

“Don’t talk like that.  It’ll come back.”

 

“It doesn’t always work like that.  It’s happened to people on Earth, and some of them were never the same.”

 

“But that was on Earth.  This is the afterlife.  Things are different here.  It’ll be all right, you’ll see.” 

 

“I hope so.  Because if not…”  Her voice cracked.  “Sometimes, I don’t know if I really belong here.  It almost feels _wrong_.”

 

“What?” he asked, concerned.

 

“Being here,” she tried to explain.  “Being dead.  It’s like I got here too soon.  There was still so much I wanted to do with my life, and I don’t even know if I got to do it.  Don’t get me wrong, I am happy here,” she added quickly, “I can’t help feeling like I rushed through the rest of my life.  I know I didn’t, but without my memories…it just doesn’t feel right.”

 

He nodded sympathetically.  “I know how weird this is.  But it’ll get better, I promise.” 

 

She swallowed.  “Even if I don’t remember?”

 

He rolled onto his side to lean over her, looking intently into her eyes.  “If you don’t remember…then I guess I’ll have to keep making you happy here anyway.”

 

She had to smile at that.

 

“I know it doesn’t help much,” he said apologetically.

 

She shook her head, and pulled him into an embrace.  “It helps,” she murmured into the crook of his neck.  “It helps a lot.”

 

***

She woke up shivering in cold air.  Goku must’ve kicked off the blanket again.  She shifted around, attempting to snuggle up to him for more warmth…only to have her leg hit something hard.

 

That wasn’t right. 

 

In fact, she realized she wasn’t in bed at all.  She was lying on a hard, cold surface that left her feeling stiff and cramped.  From a distance, she could hear the rumble of machinery.

 

That wasn’t right at all.

 

She struggled to open her eyes, but they felt as heavy as lead.  Her entire body seemed numb.  Her confusion dulled.  All she wanted to do was drift back to sleep. 

 

 _No,_ a voice in the back of her mind persisted.  _Open your eyes, something’s not right._

 

A harsh florescent light shone above her, finally forcing her eyes open.  Everything was fuzzy, but even in her drowsy state she could automatically knew this wasn’t her room.  It was a sterile-looking place, surrounded by computers and machinery.  She was lying on a platform, wires suctioned to her arms and forehead. 

 

What was going on?  Where was Goku?  She tried to call out for him, yet was too weak to even whisper.

 

The light was making her head hurt.  She lifted her hand to block it—and felt something solid above her. 

 

Glass.

 

It took a full minute for her to fully understand.  She wasn’t on a table—she was sealed inside some kind of glass case.

 

The thought was like ice water splashed in her face.  She was trapped!  Suddenly energized, she beat her fists against the glass, hoping to attract help.  No one else was in the room. 

 

Her efforts grew frenzied in her panic.  She pounded, kicked, and clawed against the glass, but it neither budged nor broke.

 

She started to hyperventilate.  Oh Kami, she was going to die in here!

 

Just then, two faces appeared above her.  Skeletal faces with those most horribly familiar green eyes.  She let out a hoarse scream.

 

The case opened.  She tried to sit up, to get away, but was held down by bony, cold hands.  She struggled against their grip, kicking, scratching, and even biting whatever bit of flesh was in her reach.

 

One of them shouted something.  The other pulled out a hypodermic needle. 

 

In an instant, there was a sharp pain in her shoulder.  Everything grew fuzzy again, but she could still feel their hands on her.  She kept on screaming and flailing as hard as she could…

 

“Chi-Chi!

 

All of a sudden, Goku’s alarmed face appeared.  It was his gentle hands that shook her.

 

“Chi-Chi, wake up!”

 

The laboratory vanished, and she was back in their room.  Goku was sitting up in bed, holding her by the shoulders. 

 

“Goku?” she gasped, still trembling.

 

“It was just a dream,” he soothed, stroking her sweaty bangs away from her face.

 

“Oh…” She sank back limply against the bed, feeling exhausted with sheer relief. 

 

“Are you all right?” he asked, his eyes wide with worry.  “You were screaming so loud!"

 

“I’m fine,” she whispered, fighting off a twinge of embarrassment.  It wasn’t as if he never had a nightmare.  Despite knowing she was safe and warm in bed, her mind still seemed trapped in that horrific dream.  Her arm still prickled where the needle sunk in…

 

Goku’s hand caressed her cheek.  “Must’ve been some nightmare.”

 

“Yeah, it was,” she sighed.  Then she noticed, to her horror, that his face was marked with scratches.  She clapped her hands over her mouth in horror.  “Oh Kami, what happened to you?

 

“Uh,” he grimaced sheepishly.  “I was trying to wake you, and…”

 

“ _I_ did that?”

 

“You didn’t know—”

 

“Oh honey, I’m so sorry!” she wailed, covering his cheeks with contrite kisses.  “Hold on, I’ll get some disinfectant!”  She scrambled out of bed and headed straight to the bathroom.

 

“It’s not a big deal,” he tried to protest as she began swabbing at his face.  “Really, look, it’s not even bleeding, you don’t have to—ow!  Chi-Chi, stop, that _STINGS!_ ”

 

***

Aboard their ship, the Reniards surveyed the power capsule containing the human female.

 

“I thought you said that gas was potent,” one said. 

 

“It is potent…but it appears she’s resisting it,” the other mused.  “Or at least trying to.  It still has too strong a hold on her.”

 

“She’s stronger than we thought.”  He stared down at the scratches she left on his arms.  “We have to get off this planet before she wakes up again.  How long until the ship is fixed?”

 

“A couple hours, give or take.”

 

“We have to work fast.  Once we’re off this planet, it won’t matter if she wakes up or not.  Her energy will be ours for the taking.”

 

“What if she’s still alive when we reach our planet?”

 

The Reniard shrugged.  “By then, she’ll be too weak to cause any problems.”  He smirked down at the unconscious woman.  “She ought to be grateful.  Dying in her sleep will be a painless way to go.”


	5. Chapter 5

From her hiding place in the hallway, Pan peered into the kitchen where her father and Piccolo were speaking. She wasn’t supposed to be spying, but she couldn’t help it. The minute her father came home with Piccolo and Uncle Goten, she knew something serious was going on.

 

It became even more obvious just from the way they were talking to each other: in those soft yet tense voices grown-ups always used in bad times. That was how they acted when Great-Grandpa Ox-King was sick and when Grandpa died.

 

Now her grandma was missing.

 

“You’re sure she didn’t go off somewhere on her own?” Piccolo asked.

 

“Positive,” Gohan replied.

 

“No signs of a struggle?”

 

“No. Everything seemed fine. But…I couldn’t sense her ki anywhere.”

 

Goten stood off to the side. He hadn’t said a single word to either one of them. He just stared at the window, grim-faced and tense.

 

Gohan, on the other hand, couldn’t keep still. He restlessly paced the kitchen, raking his hands through his hair as if he could somehow yank the answer out of his head.

 

Pan’s stomach lurched. Her small hands balled into fists. This wouldn’t have happened if her grandpa were alive. She still couldn’t believe he was gone forever. Without him…everything was just so _wrong_.

 

Only Piccolo kept his cool. “What do you think happened?”

 

“I don’t know,” Gohan muttered. “Maybe…maybe something took her.”

 

“You don’t think…”

 

“She’s not dead!” he snapped. “I would have known! Don’t you say that she isn’t!”

 

“I didn’t,” Piccolo said tersely.

 

Pan stifled a whimper. She never heard her father talk that way to Piccolo before. It frightened her.

 

None of this would be happening if her grandpa were still here. Tears filled her eyes. Everything was so _wrong_ without him

 

After a while, her father let out a deep breath. “I’m sorry,” he muttered to Piccolo. “I didn’t mean…”

 

“I know,” Piccolo said softly.

 

“It’s just after Dad…” His voice broke. “I can’t…I can’t go through this again. Not now.”

 

“Gohan…” Piccolo grasped his shoulder. “It’s going to be all right. We’ll figure this out.”

 

“Do you know anything?” Gohan asked desperately. “Have you sensed any newcomers to Earth?”

 

Piccolo thought for a moment. “There was a new energy I felt a few days ago.  It’s nothing like I ever sensed before…but it wasn’t powerful. Just…strange.”

 

“How strange?” Goten demanded suddenly. The harshness of his tone made everyone flinch.

 

“It felt…” Piccolo struggled to describe it. “Negative. Cold. It’s not a high ki, not like Frieza or Cell or anything else we’ve seen before. I’ve been keeping tabs on it from the Lookout, and so far it hasn’t grown or decreased.”

 

“It’s too much of a coincidence,” Gohan said darkly. “We better check it out.”

 

“ _I’ll_ go with Piccolo,” Goten declared. “You stay here. I’ve been training more than you have lately.”

 

“Are you sure?” Gohan asked. “I don’t know if you’re ready for another battle, not after…” He fell silent at his younger brother’s fierce gaze.

 

Uncle Goten hadn’t been the same since Grandpa died. He used to be so fun and cheerful. Yet these days he never even smiled anymore. All he ever did was train. Pan didn’t even see him anymore unless she went to Capsule Corporation to train with him and Uub. When she asked her father why he had changed, he said it was because he blamed himself for what happened to Grandpa. Though why he blamed himself, neither of her parents would say.

 

“I’ll go,” Goten repeated. “Besides, someone has to stay with Grandpa Ox-King and make sure he’s all right.”

 

Gohan nodded slowly. “All right. But I won’t tell him what’s going on. Mom will kill us if we upset him.”

 

“I’m going too!” Pan piped up, jumping out from her hiding place.

 

“ _Pan_ …” her father began sternly.

 

“I want to help save Grandma! I can fight, I’ve been training with Uncle Goten and Uub!”

 

He might have argued with her, but was stopped by a look from Piccolo. It probably reminded him of all the times Grandma forbade him from fighting—and he’d been younger than she was.

 

“I won’t let her get hurt,” Piccolo promised.

 

“Me neither,” Goten added.

 

Gohan sighed wearily. “Wouldn’t be able to stop her anyway,” he muttered with a sad little smile. “She’s just like Mom. Once she makes up her mind, that’s it.”

 

***

The nightmare left Chi-Chi so wired that it was impossible to go back to sleep. Not even lying in Goku’s arms could relax her. To make matters worse, her head started hurting again. By the time morning came, she was left feeling miserable and achy.

 

Goku was so concerned that he wouldn’t even go out to train. He just sat beside her on the bed, rubbing her neck and back.

 

“You don’t have to hang around here,” she tried to tell him. “Go out and train.”

 

Goku shook his head. “I don’t wanna leave you alone.”

 

“I’ll be _fine_.” Her usual bossy tone was watered down from the splitting pain. “Just go without me. I know you hate falling behind.”

 

“One day won’t make a difference. I wouldn’t be able to focus with you like this, anyway.”

 

Despite herself, she smiled into the pillow. Always so protective. And to tell the truth, she had missed his backrubs.

 

“You know, you never told me what that nightmare was about.”

 

“It was nothing,” she muttered, fighting yet another wave of shame for the other night. She still couldn’t believe she scratched him. “Really, it was silly.”

 

“You can tell me,” he insisted. “I’ve had bad dreams before.”

 

That’s right, he had.

 

“Well…I dreamed that I was stuck inside some glass box,” she said slowly. “I tried to escape…but there were these… _things_ guarding me.” She remembered the ugly yellow faces and those horrible green eyes. “They stuck a needle in me.”

 

He shuddered. “Poor you.”

 

“I know it was just a dream…but it felt so _real_. And the weird thing is—” She hesitated, feeling a flutter in the pit of her stomach.

 

“What?”

 

“I…” She swallowed. “I think I’ve dreamed about them before.”

 

“Really? When?”

 

“When I first came here,” she mumbled.

 

“Hold on.” He tugged on her shoulder, forcing her to roll on her back and look at his face. “You’re telling me you’ve had this dream before?”

 

“No, it was a different dream,” she explained. “I was standing in the kitchen, and one of them appeared in front of me. He gave me this box and told it was something I wanted. When I opened it, some kind of gas came out…and the next thing I know, they’re carrying me away…”

 

He narrowed his eyes. “You mean they kidnapped you?”

 

“For heaven’s sake, Goku!” she exclaimed. “Nobody _really_ kidnapped me! It was all a dream!”

 

“But what would you dream about that?” he asked, bewildered.

 

“Well, we can’t control what we dream about,” she retorted irritably, rubbing her forehead. “It’s strange I’d dream about those monsters twice in a row.”

 

Goku was silent for a few seconds. Then he asked, in a tentative voice, “Are you sure they were just dreams?”

 

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean?” she wanted to know.

 

“Maybe….maybe you were remembering something,” he suggested.

 

She burst out laughing, then quickly regretting it for the fresh pain shot through her head. “Don’t be silly. You think I was actually kidnapped by aliens?”

 

“Why not?” he shrugged.

 

“Because that’s imp—” She stopped short of saying _impossible_ when she realized this wasn’t so. Look at what her family had been through. Goku being an alien. Goku dying twice. Befriending Piccolo. Her family saving the planet from destruction. She had amnesia _and_ she was dead, for Kami’s sake. This sort of thing happened to her all the time.

 

The shocking thought made her head pound worse. “B-But…but Baba never showed us anything like that.”

 

“She probably didn’t want to upset you,” he pointed out. “You were already freaking out.”

 

That was true enough.

 

Overwhelmed with pain and shock, she laid her head against his chest. “I’m sick of all this,” she moaned. “I just want to remember already!”

 

Goku thought for a moment. “Maybe there’s a way.”

 

***

They walked out to the hills outside of the training grounds. It was one of his favorite spots on the planet; he liked to come when he felt like training by himself, or simply to have some peace and quiet. The solitude of the woods made it the perfect spot for meditation—which was exactly why he brought her there.

 

“King Kai said your memory will come back if you don’t stress about it,” he reasoned. “So I was thinking that if you do some meditating, it’ll help clear your mind, and something will come back.”

 

She eyed him doubtfully. “It’s been a while since I’ve done anything like that.”

 

“It’s not hard. I’ll do it with you.” He plopped down on the grass.

 

“You think that will work?” she wondered.

 

“I dunno,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his head, “but it’s worth a shot, isn’t it?”

 

She took a deep breath. Why not? She needed some relaxing after the other night. Besides, it might go a long way to getting rid of her headache.

 

“All right,” she agreed, sitting down and positioning herself right across him.

 

He demonstrating the proper position: crossing the legs and letting the arms rest in the lap. “Just close your eyes,” he advised. “Let your body relax. Try not to think. Focus on your breathing, on everything else happening around you.”

 

She followed his instructions, trying to let her mind go blank. She was suddenly aware of a warm touch on her wrist. “It’s hard to concentrate when you do that,” she giggled.

 

“Right.” He let go. “Sorry.”

 

“That’s okay.”

 

“And if you see anything, don’t freak out, okay? Whatever happens, you’re still safe here with me.”

 

She smiled. “Okay.”

 

The moment was nice, but she needed to get serious. This was important. Keeping her eyes closed, she honed her senses on the tranquility of her surroundings. The feel of the grass underneath her. The soft rustling of the trees. The fresh air that was neither too warm or too cold.

 

Gradually, peace stole into her heart and spread throughout her body. The tense headache faded away. She no longer felt anything, save for the dreamy sensation of floating outside herself.

 

It was almost like falling asleep…

 

Her eyes opened, and she was back in that sterile room, lying inside the glass case. She felt a flicker of panic. _It’s only a dream,_ she told herself firmly. _Or maybe a memory. Nothing can hurt you._

 

But that didn’t mean she was going to just lie here and wait to wake up.

 

She looked around. Those creatures weren’t there. Yanking off the wires suctioned to her head, she reached up against the glass and pushed with all her might.

 

Incredibly, she felt it loosen. Either they forgot to lock it, or her strength was returning. She kept on pushing until the cover lifted just enough for a narrow opening. She barely managed to crawl out, falling in a heap to the floor.

 

Everything around her felt fuzzy and dull. Her legs were wobbly, unable to bear her weight. How long had she been trapped in there?

 

Never mind. She had to escape before they came back. She clutched the wall for support, struggling to remain upright. Her eyelids prickled with exhaustion, but she forced them open.

 

She glanced down at her former glass prison and started at her older reflection. Her wrinkles and lines were back, along with the gray hair. This was exactly the way she looked before she woke up in Other World. She even wore the same dress…

 

_Don’t worry about that now, just run!_

 

Stumbling out of the room, she found herself in a cavernous hallway. She realized she was on some sort of ship—the aliens’ spaceship. It didn’t feel like it was moving. Hopefully, that meant they were still on Earth. If she managed to get out without getting caught, she could call for Nimbus and fly home…

 

Unless they were already on another planet. What would she do then?

 

 _It’s a dream,_ she reminded herself again. _If it gets bad, I’ll wake up._ At least she hoped so.

 

So she searched through the hall for an exit, careful to stick close to dark and quiet spots for cover. Moving helped keep the tiredness at bay, though it took everything she had not to collapse.

 

Suddenly, there was a commotion from the other end. Voices raised in outrage. Hurried footsteps that grew louder with each second. Her captors were coming after her.

 

Now would have been the perfect time to wake up, but no such luck. Thinking fast, she ducked into the nearest corner.

 

They came running in, stopping several feet from her hiding place. Even with their cloaks hiding their faces, she recognized them instantly. She huddled against the wall, suppressing her ki as much as possible.

 

It must have worked, because they didn’t seem to pick on it. “She couldn’t have gone far,” one of them was saying. “We’ve sealed all the doors.”

 

“How could she have escaped?” the other hissed. “That dose was supposed to keep her sedated until we left.”

 

“We weren’t supposed to need it at all!” the first one snarled. “You _said_ the Lethe gas would be enough!”

 

Lethe gas? Her mind flashed back to that black box they gave her. That was what knocked her out the first time…

 

“I can’t believe she resisted at all. You saw how broken she was. Why is she still fighting?”

 

“You’d think she’d be grateful for whatever visions it gave her. The others were more than happy to sleep the rest of their lives away when they thought they had their heart’s desire.”

 

Chi-Chi froze. Her mouth went dry.

 

“Even if she’s awake, she’s still under its power. She won’t be able to resist it for long.” The creature snickered. “She won’t know what is real and what isn’t. Why, she’ll probably think this is the dream.”

 

Their voices seemed to echo in her ears. The words itself were icy needles flying at her, piercing through her skin and twisting her stomach.

 

 _No,_ she thought desperately. Her heart was pounding so fast that she was sure she was about to have a heart attack, just like her father. _No, it can’t be…_

 

“Do you think it will drive her mad?” the creature asked, sounding morbidly curious.

 

“Perhaps.” She could practically see it leer under the hood. “That would make things more interesting, wouldn’t it? All that pain and heartbreak would give us even more power to take from her. Maybe we could keep her alive long enough to source our entire planet.”

 

“There’s no way she could survive that.”

 

“True.” It sighed. “What a pity. Humans really are the weakest species, aren’t they?”

 

She covered her ears, horror mounting with every second. _It’s just a dream, it’s just a dream, it’s just a dream,_ she chanted to herself. _Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up!_

 

“We’ll be weaker than they are if we can’t get home,” she could still hear it say. “Let’s hurry up and find her so we can end this.”

 

They rushed off. Now was her chance to flee, to try to force one of the doors and make a run for it. Yet their words—their awful words—left her paralyzed in shock.

 

Enough with the meditation. She had to wake up. Now. She pinched her arm hard enough to draw blood.

 

Nothing happened. She was still on this spaceship, pain flaring through her arm.

 

 _No,_ she cried silently. _No, no, no, no, no, no, no…._

This wasn’t a dream. It wasn’t even a memory.

 

This was real.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that the big twist has been revealed, I'd like to explain that this fic idea was inspired by the Justice League episode "For the Man That Has Everything." Anyone remember that one? Definitely check it out if you haven't, it really was heartbreaking. Us writers really are sadistic, huh? 
> 
> Anyway, I'm glad you guys are enjoying the ride so far! I appreciate all of your lovely comments and feedback!


	6. Chapter 6

It wasn’t real.

 

Chi-Chi hunched over in in the corner, shaken to the core.  Her heart felt as though it was trapped in her increasingly tight throat.  She couldn’t move, she couldn’t even breathe.  Thoughts crawled thickly through her benumbed mind.

 

She wasn’t dead. 

 

She never went to Other World or Grand Kai’s planet. 

 

Denial immediately reared up.  It couldn’t be true.  This was a trick, a lie!  Those heartless monsters were trying to trick her.

 

 _You knew,_ a voice in her head whispered.  _You knew it was too good to be true._

 

NO! she screamed inwardly.  _I saw Goku!  I_ felt _him!_

She had touched him.  Kissed him.  Held him.  Made love to him.  That had been real.  It _had_ to be!

 

Yet everything here felt real too.

 

_You knew._

 

She shut her eyes, her resistance crumbling into dust.  _Yes._

 

Deep down, she knew.  She had sensed from the very beginning.  She knew she wasn’t supposed to be dead.

 

Part of her had pieced it together that night she dreamed about the alien and the box.  Even as she clung to Goku, convincing herself that it was just a dream, part of her had known the truth.  She just didn’t want to believe it.  She didn’t want anything to ruin her reclaimed happiness.

 

Tears welled in her eyes.  Her stomach shriveled inside her.  She felt like she was about to throw up.

 

The blow to the head, those thirty years that she couldn’t remember, the reunion, the lovemaking, those happy days on Grand Kai’s planet—none of them were real.

 

 _Oh dear Kami in heaven._ She broke down weeping with her hands tightly clamped over her mouth. 

 

It all came crashing down on her: she was alive and the real Goku was dead.  Her friends and family still hated her guts.  There had never been any forgiveness or reconciliation. 

 

Perhaps there never would be.

 

She huddled on the floor, wracked with muffled sobs.  Her heart was breaking all over again.  Losing Goku was bad enough.  But to believe that she finally had him back for good, only for it to all be a dream…it was too much to bear.

 

 _It was all in my head,_ she thought brokenly.  _None of it was real._

 

Because _they_ did this to her.

 

The sorrow shattered, replaced by a powerful rage.  It rushed through her veins, obliterating the fatigue.  Her aging body surged with newfound strength.

 

How dare they?

 

How _DARE_ they do this to her? 

 

Instead of just killing her, they played with her mind and tortured her with visions of heaven.  And for what?  To distract her while they drained her lifeforce?  They couldn’t just kill her and get it over with?

 

 _Those sick bastards!_ she seethed.  But they’d pay.  Oh, she’d make them sorry they picked her to mess with…

It was same blind fury that got her killed by Majin Buu when she tried to avenge Gohan.  _Don’t do anything stupid,_ the small rational part of her mind warned.  _You don’t know who they are or what they can do._

 

To hell with being careful.  She didn’t want to hide or even escape.  She was going to kill them.

 

 _Wait!_ the voice persisted.  _Help could be coming.  Think about Gohan and Goten!_

 

That gave her pause.  What _about_ Gohan and Goten?  Were they searching for her?  She had no idea how long she’d been here; maybe they didn’t even know she was gone.

 

Or maybe they didn’t care.

 

No, she wouldn’t think that way.  No matter how angry they were, they wouldn’t abandon her like that.

 

_The same way you abandoned Goku?_

She couldn’t give into despair, not now.  Her hatred for her captors blocked all other emotions.  It didn’t matter if Gohan and Goten were on their way.  She wouldn’t just sit here and wait.  She wasn’t going to let them get away with it.

 

The rage propelled her to her feet and sent her storming off their direction.  She didn’t think to check to see if they had any spare weapons lying around.  She’d rather do it with her bare hands.

 

It didn’t take long to one of them lurking around the hallway.  His hood was off, exposing his yellow skull and the telltale scratches on his cheeks.  She immediately lunged at him.  He was so preoccupied with his search that he didn’t see the attack coming…until her fist crashed into his face.

 

“BASTARDS!”

 

The blow knocked him to the floor.  He tried to get up, only to be pinned to the ground while she pummeled every inch of his body that she could.

 

“BASTARDS!” she kept screaming.  “MONSTERS!  I’LL KILL YOU!  I’LL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME!”

 

In the midst of her rage, she heard someone approach.  She turned just into time to dodge his companion’s attack. 

 

“You have more fight in you than I thought,” he mused.

 

She flinched as she recognized his voice.  He was the one that came into her house and gassed her.

 

“Who are you?” she demanded angrily.  “Why did you do this to me?”

 

“I did nothing,” he replied.  “I simply gave you what you wanted.”

 

“Liar!” she snarled, leaping at him. 

 

Blocking her attack, he tried to grab her leg but at the last minute she spun herself out of his reach, landing hard on the floor.  It seemed as though Goku’s training stayed with her…

 

_It wasn’t Goku.  It was a dream._

 

She felt herself sway as she got to her feet.  Her old body wasn’t as durable as her Other World— _dream_ —body had been, and the brief show of strength was draining.  She shook off the drowsiness that threatened to drag her down.  She had to stay awake…

 

“Come now,” the alien said silkily.  “You don’t want to be here.  You want to go back.”

 

“No!” She drew her fist back for another punch.  His bony yellow fingers caught her wrist.  At his touch, a dreamy sensation went through her body.  She struggled, but she couldn’t pull free…

 

 

_She was at Goku’s funeral, her father close by her side.  Gohan and Videl preoccupied with a crying Pan.  Goten staring at the ground, unable to look at her._

_She tried valiantly to hold back her tears.  Breaking down would inspire no pity in the stony faces of their friends._

_Krillin’s sad, disbelieving face: “Why didn’t you come?  He kept asking for you…”_

_A furious Bulma: “You don’t get to play the grieving widow after you threw him out of your life!”_

_Piccolo wouldn’t look at her.  Neither would Master Roshi or 18.  Vegeta glared at her with the deepest disgust._

_The reception at Capsule Corporation was even worse.  Unable to bear the tension any longer, she hurried outside for a moment to herself…only to have Yajirobe corner her._

_“Knew you were trouble right from the start,” he growled, a scowl on his fat face.  “Took one look at you and I said to myself, ‘That spoiled little princess is gonna sink her claws into Goku and rip him to shreds.’”_

_“Yajirobe…”_

_“And five years later, after the Saiyans came, I knew I was right,” he went on ruthlessly. “Goku’s whole body was broken, and you didn’t even give a shit.   All you did was pitch a fit, blaming him for everything that happened to your ‘precious baby boy’…”_

_“Stop it,” she protested weakly.  Any other day, she would have clocked him in the face…but she didn’t have the strength to defend herself.  Not when she’d spent the last few days hating herself._

You deserve this.

_“He shoulda left you right then and there, but nooooo.  He was always stickin’ up for you, no matter how much of a bitch you were.”  He glared hatefully at her.  “I don’t think you even loved him at all.  You just chased after the first guy you ever met, thinking you could turn him into your perfect normal dream husband.  And when he didn’t make the cut, you hated him for it.  Well, congratulations: you finally finished him off.”_

_That did it.  The tears finally came flooding through._

_“Oh go ahead and cry,” he muttered as he stalked off.  “That’s all you’re good for, screaming and crying.  At least Goku doesn’t have to listen to your tantrums anymore…”_

Then she was back in the present, sprawled on the floor, her eyes wet with tears.

 

What was wrong with her?  She couldn’t just lie there!  She had to get up, she had to fight, she had to go home!

 

 _What_ home _?_

 

She couldn’t move.  The misery was so overwhelming that not even the lingering anger and fear could penetrate it.  All she wanted was to sleep forever and never wake up.

 

 _No, don’t sleep!_ her mind screamed.  _Get up!  Get up!_

_Why?  You have nothing left to go back for…_

_Not true!  Not true!_

_Goku’s dead.  Your sons don’t love you anymore.  Your father will die, and you’ll be alone forever._

 

She was vaguely aware of her captor standing over her, breathing heavily.  “What a rush!  Her guilt, her grief…it’s intoxicating!”

 

“You shouldn’t have done that,” the other hissed as he got to his feet.  “We need all of it!  For the ship!”

 

Don’t worry.  She isn’t likely to run out very soon.  Not as long as she’s alive…”

 

Then they were lifting her off the ground, carrying her back to the room, back to the glass case.  Her feeble body couldn’t even struggle.  It took her all her strength just to keep her eyes open. 

 

“Let…me…go…”

 

“Now, now.”  They were laying her on the platform, strapping the wires to her wrists and forehead.  “You don’t really want to be here.  You want peace.  Isn’t that better than grief?”

 

_The scene changed.  She was back at the house with Goten, begging him to stay._

_“Don’t do this!”_

_“That’s what Dad said that night.  You didn’t listen to him, so why should I listen to you?”_

_Pain…so much pain…_

You deserve this.  You deserve all of it.

_“We have to stick together…we have to forgive each other!”_

_“Then I guess that means I really more your son than his, huh, Mom?”_

“No…no…” she mumbled, fighting off the memory.  She couldn’t give in to despair, not now.  She couldn’t go to sleep.  She wanted to fight, she wanted to live!

 

_Without Goku?_

Despite herself, a wave of longing went through her.  _I just want to be with him again…_

 

Something stung her arm.  One of them had injected her with a needle.  The room began to spin.

 

“That’s too much!  It’ll stop her heart!”

 

“We can’t have her wake up again before the ship is ready…”

 

No, no, no!  Her panic faded as the drowsiness set in.  She tried to fight it, but the last of her strength ebbed away.  Darkness closed over her.

 

The next thing she knew, she was sitting on the hill overlooking Grand Kai’s palace.  She let out a gasp.

 

“What is it?”  Goku leaned forward urgently.  “What did you see?”


	7. Chapter 7

Goten, Piccolo, Pan, and Uub hid in the trees, observing the dome-shaped spaceship that stood several feet away.

 

“You’re sure this is it?”  Goten asked Piccolo.

 

“Positive,” he replied.  “That’s the new energy I felt.”

 

Goten shivered.  “You were right.  It _is_ a weird signal.”

 

“I feel it too,” Uub spoke up.  “It doesn’t even feel like energy at all.  It’s so… _cold_.  What are these things?”

 

“I don’t know…” Goten’s breath caught in his throat.  He could sense another ki, one that was weak yet familiar.  “It’s Mom.  She’s here.”

 

He didn’t know he started forward until he felt Piccolo’s arm yank him back sharply.  “Wait.”

 

“Let go!” Goten snarled.  “We have to get in there!”

 

“I said _wait_!” Piccolo snapped.

 

“Her ki is dropping!” Goten cried, struggling against his grip.  “They’re doing something to her in there!”

 

“You can’t just go rushing in there!” Piccolo warned.   “You don’t know what you’re up against!”

 

“And you do?”

 

“As a matter of fact, yes!”

 

Goten went still.  “You know what they are?”

 

“I wasn’t sure until I saw the ship,” Piccolo explained.  “I think they’re Reinards.  I’ve never seen them face-to-face, but I heard enough stories about them back when I lived on Namek.  They’re beings that travel from planet to planet, taking any living creature they can find and drain their energy.”

 

“So they’re like space vampires?” Pan asked.

 

“Something like that,” Piccolo replied.  “Only they feed on negative energy—the kind that comes from pain and sadness.  They look for the most miserable ones they can find and drain their lifeforce until there’s nothing left.”

 

“That explains their strange ki,” Uub murmured.

 

“That’s why they took Mom,” Goten whispered in horror.  He remembered her standing before him, weeping and begging for forgiveness.  And turned his back on her, leaving her grieving and vulnerable.

 

His heart twisted.  It was his fault.  If he hadn’t left her, this wouldn’t have happened.

 

“They’re going to suck out Grandma’s energy?” Pan cried.

 

“I’ll kill them first,” Goten growled.

 

 “Didn’t you hear anything I just said?” Piccolo asked angrily.  “They feed on emotions.  You running in a rage will be exactly what they want.  You have to calm down…”

 

“Calm down?” Goten yelled.  “That’s all you can say?  You expect me to just stand here and watch while I watch another parent—”

 

“Goten!” Piccolo jerked his head towards Pan and Uub.  Pan was staring at the ground, trying valiantly to conceal her tears, while Uub was trying to comfort her. 

 

Seeing his niece’s distress brought Goten to his senses.  He wasn’t the only one that had suffered through the family turmoil the past month.  He couldn’t afford to be rash when his mother’s life was at stake.

 

“It’s okay, Pan,” Piccolo reassured her gruffly.  “We won’t let anything bad happen to your grandma.”  

 

But Pan only glared up at him with teary eyes.  “Uncle Goten’s right!  We should go in and rescue her now!”  She turned to Uub expectantly.  “Right, Uub?”

 

“Oh well…” Uub’s eyes nervously bounced from her to Piccolo and Goten.  “We should be careful.  We don’t know what these things are…but I don’t think we should waste time either,” he added quickly, earning a radiant smile from Pan.

 

“I can Instant Transmission us inside,” Goten said.  “Her ki is in a different area from the aliens.  If you want to hold off on a fight, we can just get in and get her out.”

 

“You know Instant Transmission?” Pan asked, awestruck.

 

“Yeah.  Dad was teaching me and Uub before…” He bit his lip.  “I would’ve used it earlier, but her ki wasn’t strong enough.  Now we’re closer, I can teleport right to her.”

 

“All right,” Piccolo cut in.  “We’ll go in but not all at once.  Pan and I will wait out here.  If you aren’t back in five minutes, we’re coming in after you.”

 

Goten nodded, not trusting himself to speak.  No matter how hard he tried, his feelings were still in turmoil…especially where his mother was concerned.  He was still so angry with her for what she did.  Yet if anything happened to her…

 

He couldn’t let it happen.  Not again. 

 

Wordlessly, he grabbed Uub’s arm, put two fingers to his forehead, focused on the ki signal, and the two of them vanished.

 

***

“Chi-Chi?” Goku peered at her anxiously from across the table.  “Are you all right?”

 

“Hmm?” With an effort, she raised her head from her barely-touched plate.

 

“Are you all right?” he repeated.

 

“I’m fine,” she replied for what felt like the millionth time.

 

His crow creased in concern.  “But you aren’t eating.”  

 

She managed a listless shrug.  “I’m just not hungry.”

 

She wasn’t lying.  She hadn’t been hungry in a while.  Why _should_ she be hungry, anyway?  You couldn’t starve in a dream.

 

It was impossible to tell how long it had been since her horrifying discovery.  Once time, time passed in a blur.  But it wasn’t the same blissful oblivion as before.  Paradise now felt like a prison, one from which she couldn’t escape.

 

Whatever those aliens had done to her left her unable to sleep in this world.  Every “night,” she’d lie in in bed, helplessly restless, willing herself to wake up back in the real world.  She even tried to meditate again, emptying her mind like Goku— _not Goku, not real!_ — had taught her.  Nothing worked.

 

She now looked at everything around her with suspicious eyes.  Was this all her imagination?  Or did the aliens pry into her mind, create everything and everyone from her memories?  Either way, she didn’t know if she could trust anyone.

 

Not even Goku, who could tell something was amiss. He kept asking her what she had seen during meditation.  She hadn’t told him—what could she tell him?  “This is a dream and you’re not real?”

 

If only she could forget what she’d seen.  She’d been happier not knowing…

 

“What’s going on?” he persisted.   “Just tell me.”

 

“I already told you, I’m fine!” she replied shortly.

 

That was a lie.  She could barely keep her eyes open, and yet her body could not rest.  Her head hurt worse than ever.  Everything around her felt fuzzy and slow—almost, she thought with a sad little laugh, exactly like a dream.

 

“Chi-Chi…” He reached forward to grasp her hand.  She quickly pulled it back. 

 

The wounded look in his eyes tore at her heart. 

 

She hated herself for the way she was acting, but she couldn’t help it.  She couldn’t let him touch her.  Not with those gentle hands, so like his…

 

Except they weren’t.

 

“Was it something I did?” he asked softly.

 

“No!”  Her voice cracked.  “You didn’t do anything wrong.  It’s just…”

 

_You’re not my Goku.  You’re a dream, a memory._

 

She stared down at the table, trying to hide her tears.  Oh Kami, she hated herself.  She was doing it all over again: pushing him away, hurting him for something that wasn’t even his fault…

 

_Not real!  He’s not real!_

 

Yet her disoriented mind wondered if she was wrong.  What if the aliens were all in her head?  Was she really just going crazy after all?

 

_Not real!  Not real!_

 

The real Goku was gone.  He probably never wanted to see her again.  Nobody did.

 

And that was probably the real reason why she couldn’t escape.  Because deep down—no matter how hard she tried to deny it to herself—she didn’t _want_ to wake up.

 

***

Goten and Uub found themselves in a room filled with machines.  “You think this is their engine room?” Uub asked.

 

“Maybe.  It looks more like a lab…” He broke off as his eyes fell on a transparent case in the center of the room, connected by wires to the machine.  And lying inside, like Snow White sleeping in her glass coffin, was his mother.

 

“Mom!”  He rushed to her side, wrenched off the glass cover, and lifted her by the shoulders.  They must have drugged her; her breathing was shallow and her pulse was faint. 

 

He began to shake her, slapping her pale face.  “Mom!  Mom!  Can you hear me?  Please wake up…”

 

***

_“Mom…Mom…”_

Chi-Chi’s head snapped up.  “Did you hear that?”

 

“Hear what?” Goku asked, bewildered.

 

“That voice!”  She rose up from the table in a daze.

 

He cocked his head to the side.  “I don’t hear anything.  That’s weird.  Usually I’m the first to hear stuff…”

 

His voice faded as the other became louder, more desperate.  Her heart jolted with recognition. 

 

“Goten?” she whispered.

 

Everything was bright, too bright.  The sun seemed to scorch her skin.  Pain flared through her head.  Her knees buckled.

 

Hands were shaking her.  Goten’s voice was right in her ear: “Mom, can you hear me?  Please wake up, we have to get out of here!”

 

But when she opened her eyes, it was Goku’s panic-stricken face she saw.  He was cradling her head as she lay in the grass.  “Chi-Chi?!  Are you all right?  Say something!”

 

Several fighters hovered over them.  She saw Pikon and King Kai’s faces among them before her vision began to blur again.

 

“Chi-Chi?  Hang on!”  His arms slid under her arms and legs, lifting her off the ground.  She let herself sag against his chest.

 

Was this punishment for deserting him when he needed her the most?  To have him so near, knowing that he was nothing more than a dream and a memory?

 

Her last thought before slipping back into unconsciousness was that maybe this wasn’t supposed to be heaven at all.  Maybe this was hell.

 

***

“Master Goten, let’s go,” Uub said urgently.  “They could be coming any minute.”

 

Goten wasn’t listening.  He shook Chi-Chi’s limp body even harder.  “C’mon, Mom, you have to wake up!”

 

She didn’t respond.  She looked so still and pale.  Her ki was so weak. 

It was just like his father, right before…

 

Desperation contracted his heart.  “Mom, don’t do this,” he pleaded.  “You can’t…I can’t…”

 

“Master Goten—!”

 

Goten barely had time to register the dark ki that sprang up nearby when his shoulders were suddenly seized by a deathly cold grip.  Images flooded through his brain.

 

_His father lay in the hut, growing more listless with every second.  They knew the end was nearing.  The fever sapped him of the strength he fought so valiantly with._

_Everyone barely had time to say their goodbyes before his condition deteriorated.  Videl had dragged a crying Pan outside with the others; they hadn’t wanted her to see her grandpa like this._

_Only Gohan and Goten remained at his bedside.  Neither of them of them could speak.  They just sat there, holding each of his hands, silently united in their shock and grief._

_Goten kept looking outside, expecting his mother to show up any minute.  He couldn’t believe she wasn’t here.  But she would come.  Any minute now, she’d come._

_His father’s hair was matted with sweat and his skin had gone yellow.  By now he had stopped struggling, his ravaged body helpless against the poison coursing through his veins._

_Just then, he opened his mouth, attempted to speak.  Only a weak little croak came out._

_“Dad?” Gohan leaned over him._

_“Dad, hang on,” Goten whispered, tears filling his eyes.  It was a futile plea, but he couldn’t help it.  He didn’t want to lose his father, not when he’d only had ten years with him.  It wasn’t fair._

_“Ch…” He tried again.  “Chi…”_

_Gohan shut his eyes, clearly not wanting to fall apart now.  “Don’t talk.  Just rest.”_

_Goten squeezed his hand.  His skin, which had been scorched with the heat of fever moments ago, was now cold and clammy._

_“Chi…Chi-Chi?”  He couldn’t say more.  He only looked at both of his sons, the unfinished question in his dulling eyes: “Where’s Chi-Chi?”_

_Goten glanced at the window.  No sign of his mother, let alone her ki._

_It really hit him then: she wasn’t coming._

_What was he supposed to do?  He looked over at Gohan, just like he used to do when he was little and needed help.  His beloved big brother who always had all the answers…_

_Yet Gohan only stared back, looking suddenly small and helpless._

_Even in his delirium, their father couldn’t miss the silent exchange.  And in that moment, like Goten, he realized the truth._

_“Dad…” Goten faltered.  He couldn’t stand the bleak sorrow on his father’s face.  He didn’t know what to say that could possibly comfort him._

_Before he could even find the words, another spasm of pain wracked through his father’s body.  His eyes squeezed shut as he turned away, violently coughing out blood._

_It soon stopped.  But he never opened his eyes again._

Goten found himself sprawled on out the floor, shivering uncontrollably.  He couldn’t move.  His body seemed numb with cold misery.

 

His father.  He’d seen his father dying all over again.  As if the first time hadn’t been agony enough.  His throat was so tight he could hardly breathe.

 

“Who are they?” a voice above him snarled.  “How did they get here?”

 

Goten blearily lifted his head to see cloaked figure standing over him—a yellow creature with reptilian green eyes.

 

“Never mind that.”  A shorter one was standing over Uub, who lay a few feet away.  “The ship is fixed.  It’s time to go.”

 

Goten tried to call out to Uub, but he couldn’t speak.  Judging from the dull, slack look on Uub’s face, he wouldn’t be able to hear him anyway.

 

So these were the Reniards.  And this was the draining power Piccolo tried to warn them about.  And just like Piccolo predicted, they’d played right into their hands…

 

 _Your fault,_ a voice in his head whispered.  _You let your father die, and now you’ve doomed your mother and Uub…_

 

 _No!_   He tried to get up, but his body was too heavy to move.  He couldn’t let his mother die when the last thing he said to her was…

 

At this thought, the dark cloud seemed to grow larger.  Fresh grief swept over him, and he lowered his head, utterly exhausted.  There was no point in getting up, why not just lie here forever…

 

No, this wasn’t him!  This was the Reniards and their power talking!  He couldn’t let them win, he had to fight!

 

“This one has Saiyan blood,” the tall Reniard mused, peering down at him.  “I can feel great power in him…and the misery…” It took a deep whiff with relish.  “Ah, it’s strong.  Almost as strong as hers?”

 

“You want to take them with us?” the shorter Renaird asked as he resealed Chi-Chi back into the case.

 

“Why not?” the other shrugged.  “We’ll need a power source for our homeworld when we’ve used up hers.  And this one,” he jerked his head in Uub’s direction.  “He’s human, but he’s powerful too.  With their strength, our planet will be set for energy for months.”

 

The two strode over to the machinery and started pressing buttons.  The glass case containing Chi-Chi glowed red, vibrating slightly.  At once, the ship engines roared to life.

 

An evil smile spread over the tall Reniard’s yellow face.  “It’s working!”

 

Chi-Chi didn’t move, yet Goten felt her ki drop even more, shooting through the wires on her forehead and wrists towards the connecting machines.  The more energy charged through them, the weaker she became.  She was going to die right in front of him.

 

“No!” Goten croaked, struggling to break free of his paralysis.  “ _No!  Mom!_ ”

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to give a shout-out to everyone that's been reading! Thank you so much for all your kind feedback, and I'm so happy that you're all loving this story. The end is (nearly) in sight, so I hope it meets expectations!

The ship roared to life.  Even in the fog the Reniard’s touch left him in, Goten could feel it start to rise off the ground.

 

He knew he had to get up, but all the grief of the last month came crashing down on him, leaving him unable to do anything but weep.  For his father, whom he let die, and for his mother, who was about to die in front of him.

 

Voices warred in his disoriented mind.  _Get up!  Get up!_

_Why?  You’ll only make things worse._

_They’re messing with your head.  Get up!_

_You’re too weak.  Lazy._

_No!_

_If you’d spent more time training and less time chasing girls, your father would still be alive._

_Fight it!_

_You were never as strong as Gohan and your father knew it._

Guilt pierced his heart.  Tears filled his eyes and he was too weak to hold them back.

 

He was so distraught he didn’t even pick up on the sudden burst of energy heading right for them.

 

“LEAVE MY GRANDMA AND UNCLE ALONE!”

 

A small foot came hurtling at the face of the Reniard operating the machine, nailing him with such force it sent him crashing into the wall.   Pan landed on the ground and instantly rushed toward Goten and Uub.  “Uncle Goten, are you okay?”

 

Goten raised his head just in time to see the other Reniard creeping up behind Pan.  “No,” he croaked.  “Pan, look out…”

 

The clawed yellow hands lunched toward Pan, but she leapt out of the way just in time.  She faced the creature, prepared to battle with her shoulders squared and her fists raised.

 

“Pan,” he tried to warn her again.  “Don’t…don’t let them…touch…”

 

The battle commenced before he could finish.  Despite their dark power, it was clear these aliens were not experienced fighters; his attacks were no match for Pan’s speed.  Every time he came close to reaching her, she quickly dodged out of the way.

 

Piccolo appeared and dropped down next to Goten, shaking him roughly.  “Are you all right?  Say something!”

 

“Their…their touch…” Goten whispered.

 

Piccolo cursed under his breath.  “Hang on.”  He grabbed his shoulder and squeezed tight.  At once Goten felt a surge of ki zap through his body.  He sprang back to his feet just as Piccolo went over to aid Uub.  Within moments, Uub sat up, shaky but reenergized.

 

“It’s their touch!” Goten shouted at Pan, who was still deep in combat with the Reniard.  “Don’t let them touch you!”

 

“I’ll help her,” Piccolo yelled, as he helped Uub to his feet.  “Just get your mother!”

 

Goten hurried back to the glass case, opened it, and yanked off the wires on her wrists and forehead.  He flinched at the touch of her icy skin.  Her ki was low, but still there.  She was alive.  That was the important thing. 

 

“It’s okay, Mom,” he murmured, hoping she could somehow hear him.  He picked her up gingerly.  “You’re safe now.  We’re talking you, home, you’ll be all right, just hang on…”

 

The injured Reniard crawled out of the hole his body left in the wall.  “Get them!” the he bellowed at the other fighting Pan.  “Stop them!”

 

Abandoning the duel, it sped towards Goten, its bony hands outstretched.  Piccolo jumped in front of them just in time—yet not fast enough to evade the Reniard’s draining touch.

 

“No!” Goten yelled.

 

Piccolo froze as the hand made contact with his forearm.  The Reniard leered, waiting for the draining touch to take effect.  Seconds passed.

 

But Piccolo did not collapse.  Instead, a smirk spread across his face.  “That won’t work on me.”  Using his free hand, he wrenched his captured arm clean out of his socket. 

 

The force sent the Reniard flying back, still clinging to the severed arm, into one of the machines.  Sparks and flames erupted around the body, immolating it in seconds.

 

Goten, Pan, and Uub barely noticed.  They were too busy staring at Piccolo in shock as purple blood flowed from his gaping wound. 

 

Piccolo rolled his eyes at their stunned faces.  “Oh please.”  With a strained grunt and another burst of purple blood, a new arm grew out of the empty socket.  As quickly as it happened, a new arm game out of the empty wound.

 

Goten let out a breath.  He’d forgotten that Namakians could regenerate his own limbs. 

 

“Are you three just going to stare all day, or can we get the hell out of here?” Piccolo snapped.  “This ship will explode any minute!”

 

He was right.  The fire around the broken machine was starting to grow.  Bits of broken wire sizzled dangerously.  There was no time to waste. 

 

The group hurried out of the room.  Goten, still carrying his mother, was just crossing the threshold when a rasp stopped him his tracks.

 

“You think you’ve won?” 

 

The remaining Reniard crawled towards him.  His cloak was torn, leaving its bald yellow head shrunken and exposed.  Blood leaked heavily from a gash across the forehead, but he didn’t seem to care.

 

“I’ve seen your planet, full of death and despair and misery.  It can’t nourish you like it does for our race.  It will wipe you all out.”

 

“You won’t live to enjoy it!” Goten retorted.

 

“Neither will she.”  The green eyes were locked directly onto Chi-Chi’s unconscious body.  “I’ve seen her grief.  And yours.”  It smiled evilly.  “So much anger in you.  It weakens you.  Consumes you.  You’ll never escape it.  You think you’ve saved her?  You’ve only condemned her to die a slow, miserable death.  Your rage will kill her…just like your stupidity killed your father!”

 

White-hot rage rose inside him.  Before he knew what he was doing, he hurled a ki blast at the cackling creature, obliterating it completely.

 

Unfortunately, the blast only sped up the malfunctioning machine.

 

Cursing himself for his stupidity, he tore out of the room and ran for the ship’s exit.  He’d barely got sight of Piccolo and the others hovering in the air, screaming at him to hurry up, before the ship exploded.

 

The impact sent him spiraling, heat and scrap metal whirling about him.  He struggled to regain control in the air, clinging to his mother tightly. 

 

The last thing he saw before a piece of metal struck him in the head was a nearby lake coming up to meet him.

 

***

Chi-Chi could hear voices, but they were too low to understand, let alone hear.  At times, there were dim sensations of gentle hands stroking her hair or rubbing her hands.

 

Oblivion was strangely peaceful.  There was no pain or confusion, no regrets or remorse.  No wondering what universe she was in.  She simply floated in a sea of darkness.

 

It wasn’t to last.

 

When she finally did open her eyes, she found herself lying in bed.  Goku was slumped in a chair beside her, his head resting on the mattress inches from her hand. 

 

For a split second, her disoriented mind believed she was finally awake.  That not only had she been rescued, but that Goku had miraculously been resurrected—she had one last chance to make things right!

 

But when her clearing eyes took into the halo over his head and recognized her surroundings as the Grand Kai’s hospital wing, she knew that fate would never be so kind.

 

_I’m still here.  Still trapped._

With that crestfallen realization, all the emotions that sleep shielded her from returned with a vengeance. 

 

She gazed down at his hand, so warm and heavy on top of hers.  Stretched her fingers to graze the texture of his hair—just as soft as she remembered. 

 

How could none of those things be real?

 

Before she knew it, she had shifted into a sitting position, moving his head into her lap and continued to caress his face.  Every touch of his skin was like a needle piercing through her heart _._ A sweet agony she couldn’t stop craving.

_Not real.  Not real.  Not real._

 

“Chi-Chi.”

 

Her head snapped up.  King Kai stood at the foot of her bed.

 

“Oh…hi.”  She flushed, embarrassed at being in an intimate moment with her husband.  “How…how long have I been here?

 

“A few hours.”  The sunglasses made it hard to read his face.  “The healers said it was exhaustion.”

 

“Huh.”  She stared at the sheets, trying to sound as casual as possible.  “I didn’t think dead people needed rest.  I…I guess I’ve been overdoing it with training…”

 

“You’re lying.”

 

The accusation froze her insides.  She let out a tiny laugh.  “No, I’m not.”

 

“ _Chi-Chi_.”  A note of compassion lingered in the serious tone.  “Stop pretending.  I know what you’ve been seeing.”

 

She forced herself to meet his gaze, her fingers unconsciously clutching at Goku’s shoulders.  “You…you do?”

 

He nodded.  “I read your mind while you were unconscious.”

 

“You did _what_?!” she hissed, scandalized.

 

“I’m telepathic,” he justified with a shrug.  “And how else would I figure out what was going on?  You weren’t telling him anything,” he added with a glance at the sleeping Goku.  “And no, it wasn’t his idea.  I waited until he was asleep to do it.”

 

“Stop that!” she snapped.  The thought of another creature snooping into her private thoughts made her feel even _more_ violated.

 

But then again, if this really were a dream, wouldn’t he _already_ be able to know everything?  It was enough to make her head spin. 

 

It didn’t matter how found out—what mattered was that he knew.  But could she trust him?

 

There was only one way to find out.  She swallowed, then asked the question she dreaded: “Is this real?”

 

An eyebrow quirked above his sunglasses.  “What do _you_ think?”

 

She narrowed her eyes, unsure how to take that answer.  “Aren’t you going to tell me that that I’m just seeing things?  That it’s all because of my concussion?”

 

“Is that what you want me to tell you?” he shot back. 

 

When she didn’t answer, he sighed.  “Okay, how’s this: it’s not just in your head.  It’s a memory from thirty years ago.  The gas that those aliens poisoned you with is still affecting you, preventing you from remembering everything about your life.  Do you think that’s true?”

 

She remained silent, mulling the possibility over.  One minute it seemed possible.  The next minute she wasn’t so sure. 

 

 “Of course, there’s no point in telling you what to believe,” he went on, sensing her turmoil.  “Only you can know that.”

 

“I…” Her throat closed up.  She shook her head.  “I…I don’t know what to believe anymore,” she whispered.

 

“Maybe because I’m not the one you need to talk to about this,” he said gently.

 

“I don’t understand…”

 

“Yes, you do.  And afterwards, you’ll be ready.” 

 

“Ready for what?”

 

He pulled a small vial out of his robes and pressed it into her hand.  “Call it an antidote.”

 

“An antidote?” she repeated.  “I don’t understand…”

 

“You will.  Good luck.”  Before she could do or say anything more, he walked out of the room.

 

Moments later, Goku stirred.  “Chi-Chi?”  He lifted his head, his face bleary and anxious.  “Are you okay?  I was so worried!”

 

“I’m fine.”  She closed her fist, hiding the vial.

 

But he wasn’t fooled this time.  His eyebrows drew together, darkening his eyes.  It was that same intense look from that day in the hills…it seemed so long ago now.

 

“Chi-Chi.”  A soft plea.  “Whatever’s going on with you…just tell me, okay?  Let me help.”

 

She stared hard at him.  Trying to break through the face that was so dear to her, searching for the truth she desperately needed.

 

He wanted to help her.  He always wanted to help her.

 

If he were truly something the aliens created, he wouldn’t have kept trying to get her to remember.  The meditation that broke through their control had been _his_ idea. 

 

Real or not, he’d been helping her all along.

 

The realization shattered all her fears and doubts about him.  She began to cry.

 

His arms tentatively slipped around her, as if afraid of getting rebuffed again.  But with each passing moment that she didn’t pull away, the embrace grew stronger.  She clung back, needing that touch—needing _him_.  He was warm and comforting…and no matter what he was still _Goku_.  That made it real enough for now.

 

“Okay,” she whispered.  “I’ll tell you.”

 

***

Piccolo, Uub, and Pan sped towards the lake as the figures of Goten and Chi-Chi crashed through the water.  Pan got there first, leaping right in without paying attention to the shower of rubble splashing around.  Uub automatically went in after her.  Within moments, the two of them surfaced with a semi-conscious Goten in tow. 

 

Chi-Chi was nowhere in sight.

 

“Help him!” Piccolo shouted at them. “I’ll find Chi-Chi!”  He flung his weighted turban and cape and dove underwater.

 

He swam through the depths, searching until he caught sight of her half-floating at the bottom of the lake.  Her long hair pinned down by a piece of scrap metal from the ship, her limp body drifting up and down with the current. 

 

Thinking fast, he sliced through trapped hair with a laser beam.  Once she was freed, he grabbed her around the waist and sped towards the surface, hoping that it wasn’t already too late. 

 

***

Chi-Chi waited until they returned to the cabin.  And then everything she kept from Goku came rushing out: how everyone shunned her, the fight with Goten, the aliens and what they had done to her, how she no longer could tell what was dream and what was reality…

 

He didn’t say anything.  She wasn’t sure what to expect.  It was a lot to take in, and she wasn’t sure he’d be able to comprehend all of it.

 

It felt like an hour had passed before he finally spoke:

 

“Well…” he cracked a small smile.  “I don’t _feel_ like I’m not real.”

 

Despite the gravity of everything, she let out a teary laugh.  “That _is_ something you’d say.  Oh Kami, maybe I _am_ going crazy.”

 

“No, you aren’t,” he said firmly.

 

She looked at him in disbelief.  “Then…you believe me?”

 

“I…I’m not sure,” he admitted.  “But we’ve been through so much crazy stuff already.”  He took her both of her hands, squeezing them gently.  “Whatever’s going on, I know you’re telling the truth.”

 

She gave him a brave smile.  “I guess that’s good enough for me.” 

 

“So what are you gonna do now?” he asked. 

 

She stared at the bedside table where she set King Kai’s potion.  “I don’t know.”

 

“What?”  He blinked.  “You mean you don’t want to rememb—go back?”

 

Her throat was too tight to respond.

 

“What about Gohan and Goten?  And Pan?  Don’t you want to see her grow up?”

 

“Of course I do!”

 

“Then why—?”

 

“You know why!” she burst out, tears of absolute shame welling in her eyes.  “Everything’s horrible now.”

 

“Aw, come on.”  He put his arm around her, pulling her close.  “That’s not true.”

 

“Gohan and Goten hate me,” she sobbed.  “They’ll never forgive me.”

 

“Yes, they will,” he insisted.  “You’re their mother.  They love you.”

 

“Not anymore.”  She pressed her face into his shoulder, weeping in full force.  “Everyone hates me.  I don’t blame them, I deserve it.”

 

“No.”  He stroked her hair.  “I know things seem bad now…but they won’t stay that way forever.”

 

“How do you know?” she cried.  “You won’t even be there!”

 

He winced.  “I know.  I’m sorry.”

 

“No.”  She pulled away ruefully.  “This isn’t your fault.  It’s mine.”

 

He shook his head.  “Don’t talk like that.  Remember what you told me before?  That stuff just happens?  This is the same thing.”

 

She shook her head.  “At least you never hurt me on purpose.”

 

“I don’t think you ever really meant to hurt me either,” he said softly.  “You were just upset.”

 

She snorted ruefully.  “Is that how you really feel?  For all I know, I’m just talking to myself.”

 

“Well…”  He scrunched up his forehead, thinking hard.  “If I’m not real…and you _are_ talking to yourself…”  His face softened in another small smile.  “Then that means you already _know_ it’s true.”

 

Her eyes widened, stunned by the unexpected insight.

 

“And deep down,” he persisted, “you know that Gohan and Goten will forgive you.”

 

She sniffed.  “What about everyone else?”

 

 His smile faded and he shrugged helplessly.  “I don’t know.  I don’t know what to tell you there.  All I can tell you is…you won’t know what’ll happen if you stay here.”

 

A lump rose in her throat.  “Don’t you _want_ me here?” she couldn’t help asking.

 

“Hey.”  He cupped her face in his hands.  “You know I do.  But you told me that it didn’t feel right being here.  That won’t go away.  Is that what you really want?  To stay here, wondering if anything is real?”

 

She shut her eyes.  He was right.  She couldn’t bear to say it out loud, but he was right.

 

“I’d go back if I had the chance,” he whispered.

 

She opened her eyes in a halfhearted glare.  “Cheap shot.”

 

“I know.  But I just want you to be happy,” he whispered tenderly.  “You know that, right?”

 

“I know,” she whispered.  Unable to stop herself, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.  “Oh Goku, I’ll miss you so much.”

 

“Me too.  But I’ll wait,” he promised, hugging her close.

 

He would, wouldn’t he?  He waited for her, just like she waited for him. She had to believe that.

 

“Could you…could you just hold me for a while?”

 

She felt him nod.  She closed her eyes, focusing on every sensation.  The solidness of his body.  The feel of his lips pressing into her shoulder.  His fingers caressing her hair and the back of her neck.  His scent.  His warmth. 

 

She wasn’t ready to let go.  Not yet.  Just a little while longer.

 

***

Goten came to, sputtering, just as Pan and Uub pulled him onto shore.  He looked around, still dazed from the blow.  “Mom?” he moaned.  “Where’s Mom?”

 

There was a great explosion of water.  Piccolo came shooting out of the lake with Chi-Chi in his arms and flew straight to where the group was gathered.  Goten stumbled to his feet and rushed over just as Piccolo laid her on the ground.

 

Heart pounding, Goten dropped to his knees beside her.  She wasn’t breathing and there was no pulse.  “No,” he gasped, his mind going blank with panic.  “Oh Kami, no, no, no, no…”

 

“Grandma?” Pan cried, frightened.

 

“Start chest compressions!” Piccolo ordered Goten.  “I’ll try to get her breathing!”

 

Goten immediately starting pressing his hands on her chest.  Piccolo bent over her, pinched her nose, and blew air into her mouth.

 

Nothing.

 

“Keep going!”

 

“Come on, Mom!” Goten screamed with each effort.  “Don’t do this, don’t leave me, not you too!”

 

Pan started to cry.  Uub put his arm around her, watching helplessly.

 

Piccolo cursed in frustration.  “Dammit, Chi-Chi, _breathe_!”

 

***

Chi-Chi curled up on the bed, staring hard at the vial on the table.  Goku had fallen asleep, still holding her from behind.

 

She knew prolonging it only made it worse.  Her mind was set, yet the rest of her was as stubborn as ever.  Her heart was not ready to let go, nor was her body willing to leave his warmth.

 

J _ust a little longer_ , she pleaded with herself.

 

She looked wistfully around at the little room, remembering their first night together.  How happy she’d felt, waking up in his arms, believing that she’d never be apart from him again…

 

Her choice weighed heavily on her heart.  She was finding it harder to breathe. 

 

Tears brimming in her eyes, she turned to Goku.  Gave him one last kiss: soft enough not to wake him, but tender enough for him to feel it.

 

“I love you,” she whispered.

 

Reluctantly, she tore herself away for him and reached for the vial.  _Don’t let this be forever,_ she prayed.  _Let us find each other again._

 

She opened it and downed the potion in one gulp.

 

***

At first there was darkness.  Then someone’s mouth pressing down on hers, forcing air into her lungs.   

 

“Dammit, Chi-Chi, _breathe_!” a familiar voice growled.

 

She choked, vomiting out water.  She took one ragged gasp, and then another.

 

“Grandma!”

 

“Mom!”

 

She opened her eyes to find herself soaked.  The faces of Goten, Pan, Piccolo and Uub came into focus above her.  She could make out the nearby sounds of waves brushing onto a shore.

 

A _lake_?  How on earth had she gotten here?

 

“Grandma, you’re all right!” Pan exclaimed, flinging her arms around her.

 

“Y-yes,” Chi-Chi croaked, accepting the hug while struggling to sit up.  “But…what happened?”  She looked at all of them, confused.  “What’s going on?”

 

“You mean you don’t remember?” Piccolo asked, frowned.

 

She shook her head.  Everything was a blur to her.  Her last clear memory was going to Uub’s island.  After that—nothing.  She brushed a wet strand of hair from her face, and was startled at its shortened length.

 

“You were kidnapped by aliens!” Pan informed her brightly.  “But we saved you.”

 

“Aliens?”  Chi-Chi’s mouth dropped in shock.  “How—?”

 

She was abruptly cut off when a heavier body threw itself on top of her.  A male voice sobbed incoherently in her ear. 

 

Goten, her estranged son, was hugging her—actually hugging her, like he never wanted to let go.

 

“Oh Goten,” she whispered, overwhelmed with emotion.  Her confusion melted into joy and gratitude.  Whatever happened to her, it was worth it for her to get this moment.

 

Pan prattled on, obvious to the moment.  “Yeah, you were kidnapped!  They put you under some spell and you didn’t wake up until—”  Her eyes widened and she suddenly burst into a giggling fit.

 

“What?” Chi-Chi wondered, still locked in Goten’s embrace.  “What is it?”

 

“Piccolo kissed you!” she squealed.

 

Piccolo’s face went a darker shade of green.  “It was not a kiss!” he yelled.  “It was mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.”

 

“But it did wake her up,” Uub pointed out, his lips twitching in a grin.  “Just like the story!”

 

“It doesn’t count!” Piccolo snapped.

 

Chi-Chi and Goten looked and each other, then at Piccolo.  They burst into laughter.

 

 “IT WAS NOT A KISS!” Piccolo roared, growing more mortified.

 

Nobody heard him.  They were too busy laughing. 

 

Chi-Chi couldn’t stop, even when her sides began to ache.  After all the tension and misery from the past month, it felt so _good_ to laugh.  It really was almost like a spell had broken, if only temporarily…

 

And yet beneath the mirth and relief, something prodded at her heart.  She wasn’t sure what it was or why she felt it.  It was a strange sort of sadness—the vague knowledge of paradise lost.


	9. Chapter 9

_A loud crash sounded from downstairs.  Chi-Chi jumped out of bed, raced down the steps, and hurried into the kitchen.  What she saw made her stop dead in her tracks._

_Goku was kneeling on the floor, picking up broken pieces of a china dish._

_She couldn’t move.  She couldn’t even breathe._

_“Goku…”_

_He started, his guilty eyes bounced from her to back to the broken dish.  “Sorry…I didn’t mean to…I’m just…”  He swallowed.  “It was an accident.”_

_“This is our wedding china,” she said quietly._

_He winced.  “I know, I know.”_

_She put her hands on her hips.  “Goku.  Come.  Here.  Now.”_

_The flat, hard tone made him swallow hard again.  He rose to his feet.  Moving away from the china pieces, he approached her with the shamefaced air of a child ready for a scolding._

_She threw her arms around him in a passionate embrace._

_His frame went taut with surprise.  After a whole week of her aloofness, he certainly hadn’t expected that.  He didn’t hug her back, perhaps anticipating another mood swing._

_“Chi-Chi?”_

_She didn’t hear him.  She was too busy digging her face into the crook of his neck and breathing his scent._

_“Chi-Chi?” he repeated, timidly patting her head.  “Is something wrong?”_

_“No,” she murmured into his chest.  “I just…I just had a bad dream.”  She finally pulled away, taking in his wan and bewildered face.  “Come to bed, honey.  You’re just as tired as I am.”_

_“I’m…uh…I’m not done with the dishes,” he protested feebly as she swept the fragments from the floor._

_“They can wait,” was her gentle reply._

_She led him upstairs.  Right as they headed to their room, she spotted Goten peering at them from his bedroom door.  The dish breaking must have woken him too.  It quickly slammed closed, but not before she caught his relieved smile._

_She pulled Goku onto the bed and rested her head on his chest.  His heartbeat quickened underneath her ear.  It was their first physical contact in bed since her father’s heart attack, and he still didn’t know what to make of it._

_“Chi-Chi?  I’m…I’m sorry I broke the dish,” he said tentatively._

_“It’s okay,” she soothed.  “Accidents happen.”_

_He shifted uncomfortably.  “But it was our wedding china.”_

_“We can fix it,” she assured him.  “And even if we can’t, it’s only one dish.  We’ve got plenty of others.”_

_“You keep telling me to be careful,” he sighed.  “I’m sorry, I ain’t good at housework.”_

_She tilted her chin to look at him.  “I know.  But…”  She laid a hand on his face, one finger tracing his cheek down to his jawline.  “It means so much to me that you’d do it anyway.”_

_“Just tryin’ to help you out,” he mumbled._

_“I know you are.  And I’m…” Her voice trembled.  “I’m sorry I’ve been such a pill.  It’s just my dad…”_

_“Hey.”  The tension in his body eased.  He wrapped his arms around her.  “Your dad’s gonna be okay.”_

_“How do you know?” she whispered._

_“Because…”  He hesitated.  “Because the universe has a way of working out.”_

_She tried to smile.  “Dad always says that.”_

_“Yeah?” He smiled back—his first real smile all week.  “Grandpa used to say it too.”_

_She snuggled closer to him._

_“And whatever happens,” he added, “we’ll get through it.”_

_“I know.”  She moved to kiss him.  “I love—”_

Chi-Chi woke clutching her pillow.  She turned her head and saw that the bed was empty.  No one else was there.  It was just her, alone in the bedroom.

 

A dream.  Of course it had been a dream. 

 

She tossed the pillow aside, got out of bed, and strode to the window.  She gazed up at the starry sky, her heart heavy.

 

It was her first night in the house since her abduction.  Gohan had insisted that he stay with him until she’d “recovered” from her ordeal.  It took three days to convince him that she was perfectly healthy.  Whatever the aliens had done to her didn’t seem to affect her physically.

 

She still couldn’t remember anything about them.  It might have been due to the trauma of almost drowning…or maybe, as Piccolo speculated, it was a side effect of them drugging her.

 

“It’s probably for the best,” he told her.  “I found out about that Lethe gas they used on you.  Some swore it gave them visions of heaven, or what heaven was going to look like.  They were so convinced what they saw real that they kept taking the gas, wanting to stay in their imaginary paradise forever.”

 

Perhaps that was why she felt so strangely melancholy.  Whatever she dreamed about, she knew without a doubt that it involved Goku. 

 

Sighing, she tore away from the window and glanced at the bedroom mirror.  Frowned at her reflection.  It was another odd sensation she’d been experiencing lately: the feeling that she’d been placed in a different body.  Only that was ridiculous.  She looked the same as she always had, wrinkles and all.

 

It was her hair, she decided.  She wasn’t used to it being so short; it had been cut down to her chin.  She didn’t like it.  It made her look so old and dowdy...

 

She knew she was being petty.  If Piccolo hadn’t cut it, she would have drowned.  Besides, she _was_ old.  Why fight it anymore?

 

Just then, she heard the creaking of footsteps.  Alarm shot through her.  Someone was downstairs. 

 

Another threat?  Well, she wouldn’t be taken so easily this time!

 

She crept downstairs with her fists raised in attack pose, and peered into the entrance of the kitchen.  The lights were off, but she could make out a tall, broad-shouldered form.

 

Her heart skipped a beat.  Could it be?

 

“Goku?” she whispered incredulously.

 

The figure started.  “Mom?”

 

“Goten!”  She let out a breath.  Relief mingled with disappointment then annoyance.  “What are you doing sitting here in the dark?  Oh, hang on…”

 

She fumbled against the wall for the light switch.  Instantly, the room brightened, revealing her teenage son at the table, looking sheepishly at the floor.

 

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” he muttered.  “I just…I wanted to see if…if you were okay.”

 

“It’s all right…”

 

Mother and son faced each other uncertainly.  They hadn’t really talked since her rescue.  Once the euphoria of her being alive had worn off, awkwardness rose between them.  While she had been staying with Gohan and his family, he went back to Capsule Corporation. 

 

At least Gohan was trying.  His manner toward her was warmer, less distant.  He’d taken her aside before she returned to Mount Pouzu.  “Look, I know things have been…well…bad for a while.”  He hesitated.  For all his education, sometimes he got as tongue-tied as Goku.  “We can’t…we can’t change what happened, but…”  He sighed.  “We’re a family.  Dad would have wanted us to stick together.  No matter what.”

 

He looked straight at her as he said this, his eyes full of compassionate sorrow.  And that single look meant more to her than any stilted speech ever could.

 

So she bided her time with Goten.  It was best not to pressure him; she needed to let him come to her.  Now he was here.

 

There was so much she wanted to say.  Yet she was well aware that she was walking on eggshells.  It was best to start slow. 

 

“Are you hungry?”

 

He shook his head.  “I just couldn’t sleep.”

 

“I could make you cocoa,” she offered.  “That might help.”

 

“I’m good.”

 

It was the first time Goten ever turned down cocoa.  She tried not to let it unnerve her.

 

She wasn’t sure what else to ask.  So she pulled up a chair and sat across from him.  Waiting for him to say whatever he wanted. 

 

After a while, he finally spoke.  “I’m still really mad at you.”

 

 “I know,” she whispered, her body heavy with resignation.

 

His eyes were glued to the floor.  “But…when you were taken …all I kept thinking was about that last night.  All the things I said.  And how I didn’t want that to be the last thing I ever I said to you…”

 

“Then I realized…” his voice wavered, “that’s how _you_ feel.  Thinking about the last thing you ever said to Dad…before he died.  How awful it must feel.”

 

Her eyes began to water.  “Yes,” she admitted.  “I think about it all the time.”

 

He nodded.  “With Dad, I at least got to say good-bye.  But when I thought you drowned, thinking that the last thing I ever said to you was…it was the worst feeling in the world.  And if you died…”  To her horror, tears fell from his eyes.  “If you died…it would have been my fault …” 

 

In half a second, she was at his side, holding him in an embrace.  “Goten, no,” she murmured, her own tears streaming down her face.  “It’s all right, everything is all right.”

 

“No,” he croaked, shaking his head.  “It’s not.  I don’t care what you said that night.  You loved Dad, I know you did.  And I shouldn’t make you feel more awful…I just want everything to be okay again.” 

 

“Me too.”  She hugged him tighter, buying her face into his shaggy mess of hair.  “That’s all I want.”

 

“I miss Dad so much.”

 

“So do I,” she sobbed back.  “I should have gone with you that day.  I shouldn’t have even kicked him out of the house at all.  Oh Kami, Goten if I could take it all back, I would!”

 

He pulled away suddenly.  “There’s something I gotta tell you.  About what happened to Dad.”

 

“Oh.”  She went still.  No one had given the details of his death up until now.  She was almost afraid to know.

 

Goten swallowed hard, his gaze falling to the floor once more.  “It…it was my fault.”

 

“What do you mean?” she asked.

 

“The aliens that came…they were out for revenge against the Saiyans.  They had this weapon—these harpoon guns that shot poisoned needles.  One of them almost hit me…I was too busy was fighting another to see it coming.  I didn’t even know what was happening until …”

 

“Your father knocked you out of the way?” she guessed.

 

He nodded, his face twisted in sorrow.

 

Goku took a poisoned dart for their son.  She should have known that was how it happened.

 

She blinked, struck by the oddest feeling of déjà vu.  It was almost as though she heard the story before.  Only that was impossible.  She tried to shake it off.  Maybe it just seemed familiar because he died the way he always had: protecting his family. sacrificing himself to protect their children.

 

Newfound regret crashed over her.  She buried her face in her hands, weeping.  If she’d known…she would have gone straight to Uub’s island, pride be damned.  He sacrificed himself to save their son, and she let him die thinking she didn’t love him anymore…

 

“I’m sorry, Mom,” Goten was saying.  “It’s my fault.  If I hadn’t been so weak…if I hadn’t slacked off training, he’d still be alive.”

 

His remorseful words stopped her tears.  Wiping her eyes, she reached out to cup his face, forcing him to look her in the eye. 

 

“Don’t talk like that,” she said firmly.  “Don’t even think it.  It wasn’t your fault.”

 

“But Dad…”

 

“ _Loved you_.”  She gave his shoulders a gentle shake to emphasize her words.  “Your father loved you.  He never thought you were weak.  He would have taken that dart for you no matter what.  It’s not your fault.  Do you hear me?  It wasn’t your fault.”

 

He nodded slowly, though it was uncertain if he believed her.

 

Even if he did, he’d still blame himself.  Just she’d always blame herself for how she acted before he died.  Forgiveness was never easy, especially when it came to forgiving yourself.  That would take time…and there were some wounds that time couldn’t completely heal.

 

He cleared his throat.  “I found an apartment.”

 

“You did?” she asked, surprised.  “Where?”

 

“In West City,” he said, fidgeting with the tablecloth.

 

“Oh!”  She fought a pang of disappointment, trying to sound enthusiastic.  “That’s great!  I’m so proud of you.”

 

“Yeah…but…I don’t have to move,” he mumbled, avoiding her gaze.  “If you want me to stay…”

 

Her breath caught in her throat.  _Yes, of course I do!_ The tempting words danced on the tip of her tongue.

 

And yet…

 

She knew his offer came from guilt.  He only wanted to stay because he was worried that something else would happen to her.  Just like she’d want him to stay because she didn’t want to be alone.  It wouldn’t be right to let fear tie them down.

 

Besides, much as it pained her to admit it, she couldn’t keep him her little boy forever.

 

So with a steady resolve, she shook her head.  “It’s all right, sweetie.  If you’re ready to live on your own, you should.”

 

“Are you sure?” he asked anxiously.  “What about you?”

 

“I’ll be fine,” she replied. 

 

She meant it.  She wasn’t afraid to be alone.  Perhaps the Reniards’ other victims were content to surrender to their imaginary heaven, but she couldn’t do that.  Goku wouldn’t have wanted that for her.  He would have wanted her to keep going.  No matter what lay ahead, there was still so much in life to be grateful for.

 

“Just as long as you come home for dinner sometime,” she added.

 

“Oh, I will,” Goten nodded.  “Every week.”

 

She smiled.  “Maybe we’ll start having Sunday dinners again.  You me, Gohan, Videl, and Pan…”

 

“And Piccolo too,” he chimed in, grinning evilly.  “We can’t let him forget about that _kiss_ , can we?”

 

“Definitely not,” she laughed.

 

He left soon after, and she returned to bed in slightly brighter spirits.

 

She had one more dream that night.  Or maybe it wasn’t a real dream at all: there were no sights or sounds, just thoughts and feelings.  The feeling of being surrounded in darkness, held in warm arms.  A gentle hand stroking her hair and her face.

 

It was confusing, and yet when she awoke the next morning, she felt completely at peace for the first time in months.  And the path ahead of her was crystal clear.

 

Goku was gone.  She couldn’t change that, nor could she take back that last horrible month.  But she would make it up to him by living the best life she could.  She would help her father run his kingdom, watch their children and grandchildren grow up, and never take a single moment of life for granted.  Then, when it was her time, she’d find him in the afterlife…if he’d have her. 

 

 _“I’ll wait.”_   His voice seemed to whisper in her ear. 

 

Was it real?  Or had she dreamed that too?

 

It didn’t matter.  Either way, it felt like a promise: he would wait for her. 

 

Until then, she’d just have to live life for the both of them.


	10. Chapter 10

Thirty years later, Chi-Chi stood in front of King Yemma’s desk.

 

“It looks like everything is all in order for you, Son Chi-Chi,” King Yemma said as he looked over her paperwork.  “You’ve been a good person and you’ve lived a good life.”

 

She nodded, letting out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.  It was still hard to believe that she was dead.  One minute she was going to bed, same as usual, and the next minute, she woke up in the afterlife.  Still, eighty was as good an age to go as any.

 

She had kept the promise she’d made for herself, and lived the best life she had possibly could.  After her father died—peacefully in sleep, thank Kami for small favors—she had helped set up a new government in his kingdom.  People wondered why she didn’t simply rule it herself, but she had no desire to be queen.  Life with her family provided its own riches.

 

Goten had become as powerful a fighter as his father had been, helping Uub reach his full potential.  Even more rewarding was watching him marry Marron and become a father to two boys, one of them named after his father.  Yet unlike his namesake, the younger Goku preferred to study instead of fight—something Grandpa Krillin thought was hilarious.

 

Pan, on other hand, remained a warrior.  She was arguably stronger than Goten and Uub combined.  Not even settling down with Uub could take tame the indomitable spirit she inherited from her grandfather.  Thankfully, Uub wouldn’t have it any other way. 

 

While not all of the Son family’s friends completely forgave Chi-Chi, she tried not to let it bother her too much.  It was enough to focus on what she had instead of the things she didn’t have.  At least having Krillin as an in-law helped soften things between them.

 

“You’ll be able to keep your body,” King Yemma continued, jolting her out of her reflections.  “And as an added bonus…”

 

Warmth spread through her limbs.  She looked down at herself and gasped.  She wasn’t an old woman any longer.  Her body was sturdy and smooth, in better shape than it had been since Gohan’s birth.  Her hair, now long again, was black and silky.

 

“Oh, thank you!”  She couldn’t help beaming.  “Thank you so much!”

 

“Nothing to it,” he replied easily.  “Enjoy your afterlife!”

 

“Wait.”  She hesitated.  Took a deep breath.  “Can you tell me how to get to Grand Kai’s planet?”

 

***

She was a mess of nerves by the time she arrived on the planet.  Yet even in her preoccupied state, she stopped to admire the lush surroundings.  The training grounds surrounded a massive palace.  Further in the distance lay hills leading to a wide stretch of woods.

 

Her senses prickled.  Something about this place seemed strangely familiar… 

 

Only that couldn’t be right.  This was her first time here.  She decided it was because the hills reminded her of Mount Pouzu.  Yes, that had to be it.

 

Everywhere she looked, there were warriors, male and female, milling around or sparring each other.  Some appeared to be human—or at least resembled them—and others were creatures of all shapes and sizes. 

 

Where was Goku?  She scanned the crowds, her heart pounding madly and her mind racing with questions.  Would he be happy to see her?  What would he say?  What would _she_ say?  Would he…?

 

“Excuse me.”  She whirled around to see a squat blue alien wearing sunglasses.  “Are you a newcomer?”

 

“Oh…um…not exactly,” she stammered.  “I’m looking for my…” She stopped herself short of using the word _husband_ ; she didn’t know unsure if she had the right to call Goku that anymore.  “I’m looking for Son Goku.”

 

“Goku?  He’s around somewhere.”  His brow rose over his sunglasses as he looked her over.  “Hang on, are you Chi-Chi?”

 

“Yes…”  Her heart stopped.  He talked about her.  That was a good sign.

 

“Ah, it’s nice to finally meet you!” he declared.  “I’m King Kai!”

 

“You’re Goku’s master in Other World!” she said warmly, taking his extended hand in a firm shake.  “He’s told me so much about you!”

 

“So I take it you’ve just died?” he asked.

 

She nodded.  “Where’s Goku?”

 

“Well, I haven’t really seen him much today,” he replied.  “You know how he is, always wandering around.”

 

She had to smile at that.  “Yeah, I know how he is.”

 

“Maybe Grand Kai has seen him though.  Follow me.”

 

He led her over to a large group watching one of the mini-sparring match.  “Grand Kai!” he called out to an old man who was also wearing sunglasses.  “Have you seen Goku?”

 

“Who wants to know?” the old man asked without tearing his eyes from the fight.

 

“This is his wife.”

 

Chi-Chi bowed nervously.  “Pleased to meet you.”  Privately, it was hard to believe that this was the ruler of the planet.  She had always imagined Grand Kai to be an imposing, powerful figure, not some little old man that looked more or less like Master Roshi with pointier ears and longer hair.  Nevertheless, she was mindful to show him proper respect.

 

Grand Kai, on the other hand, only gave her the briefest glance.  “Nice.  We normally don’t have visiting hours today, but I guess for Goku we can make—”

 

“I’m not visiting,” she blurted out.  “I came here to stay with Goku.”  _If he’ll have me,_ she added silently.

 

“ _Stay_ here?”  That finally tore his attention from the fight.  “You think you can just come here and move in out of the blue?“

 

“Well…yes,” she said, feeling more self-conscious.  “Why not?”

 

“Why not?”  He sighed.  “I’m afraid there’s been a misunderstanding.  We don’t allow families to stay here.”

 

“What?” Chi-Chi cried.

 

“I’m sorry, but it wouldn’t be fair to the other fighters,” he said with a shrug.  “If I let one of their wives stay, I’d have to let them _all_ stay here.”

 

King Kai stepped forward.  “Grand Kai, if I may…”

 

“No,” Grand Kai cut him off with a wave of his hand.  “Rules are rules.  There are no exceptions.”

 

This couldn’t be happening.  She hadn’t waited thirty years and come all this way just to be thwarted by someone else. 

 

“Look, can’t you just make an exception just this once?” she pleaded.  “If I’m good enough to keep my body, then that means I’m good enough to stay here.

 

She could tell Grand Kai was making an effort not to roll his eyes.  “Keeping your body is not the issue,” he explained in a slow, condescending drawl.  “This is a planet for _fighters only_.” 

 

“I am _a_ fighter!” she declared defiantly.

 

“Oh really?” he asked skeptically.  “I don’t seem to recall hearing anything about you saving the world.  Did you battle the likes of Frieza or Cell or Majin Buu?”

 

“I fought Buu!”  The lie was out of her mouth before it even registered in her mind.

 

He snorted.  “Yes, Baba mentioned something about him crushing you like an egg.  One pathetic slap doesn’t count.”

 

Her face burned with anger.  Powerful ruler or not, this arrogant old man was getting on her nerves.  “Maybe I haven’t saved the world,” she admitted, “but I _was_ a fighter before I had my children!”

 

“Still doesn’t count,” he retorted.

 

“Okay, then I’ll start training again!” she said desperately.  “I won’t mind if it means I can stay here!”

 

Now he _did_ roll his eyes.  “Uh, no offense, but from I can tell about your power level, this place might be a little…out of your league.”

 

She stiffened.  “What’s _that_ supposed to mean?  That I’m not strong enough to be here?”

 

“You said it, not me,” was his infuriating response.

 

King Kai attempted to diffuse the situation.  “Now, Chi-Chi, I’m sure that Grand Kai didn’t mean any offense…”

 

But she was too angry to listen.  She didn’t care who this old man was anymore.  She wasn’t going to let him get away with insulting her like that! 

 

“I’ll have you know I can take on you or any your fighters anytime I want!” she shouted. 

 

“Is that so?” Grand Kai inquired.  “All right then, let’s see what you can do.”  He turned back to the two warriors duking it out.  “Pikon!  Get over here!”

 

The match immediately ceased.  One fighter of the fighters bowed to his opponent and stepped forward.  He was a tall, green alien dressed in a turban and cape—he greatly resembled Piccolo, except with thick red lips and no nose. 

 

“Pikon,” Grand Kai addressed him, “this is Son Goku’s wife, and she’s accepted a challenge to fight you.”

 

_Pikon._   The name rang a bell.  Wasn’t he one of Goku’s friends in Other World?

 

“Fight Goku’s wife?”  Uncertainty crossed his reptilian face.  “He might not like that.  This might not be a good idea…”

 

“I’ll say it isn’t a good idea!” King Kai exclaimed.  “Chi-Chi, you don’t have to do this…”

 

“Nonsense,” Grand Kai interjected.  “She said it herself: she can take on any fighter here.  If she wants to stay, let her prove herself.”  He glanced sideways at Chi-Chi.  “Unless you aren’t up for the challenge, of course?”

 

“I’m ready!” Chi-Chi snarled.

 

King Kai groaned.  “This won’t end well.  You’re just as reckless as Goku.”

 

The spectators backed several paces to give them more space.  Butterflies fluttered in Chi-Chi’s stomach, but she shook it off.  _I can do this,_ she told herself, _crouching in a defense pose.  I’m the daughter of the Ox-King.  I trained Goten.  I even survived those Reniard aliens…_

 

At the thought of them, she felt suddenly strange.  Her mind swam with vertigo.  She swayed. 

 

_I’ve done this before…_

 

It came and went in less than a second.  She recovered her stance before anyone could notice.  Nerves, she dismissed it.  Just nerves. 

 

“What are you waiting for?” she yelled at Pikon.  “Let’s go!”

 

Pikon, still conflicted, cast a frown in Grand Kai’s direction.

 

_Well, if he won’t throw the first punch…_

 

She leapt at the warrior, her fists raised for a blow to his face.  He ducked quickly enough to give an ordinary person whiplash.

 

The fight that followed was eerily reminiscent of her Tournament match with Goku, with her trying to land a hit only to have him dodge or block it every time.  She was amazed that she was able to keep up with his speed.  Then again, he might have been holding back; he didn’t even _try_ to hit her.

 

“For Kami’s sake, Pikon, hit her!” Grand Kai bellowed at one point.  “We don’t go easy on women, even if she is Goku’s wife!”

 

_Of all the nerve!_   Forgetting her opponent, she whirled around to tell him off once and for all…

 

Something struck her in the back in the head, sending her hurtling through the air and into blackness.

 

***

The next thing she knew she was lying in a bed.  She blinked groggily, trying to make sense of her new surroundings.  What happened?  Did she lose the fight?

 

She tried to sit up, and felt a weight on her stomach.  She was suddenly aware of someone’s soft breathing close by.  Her body went rigid.  Was someone _in bed_ with her?  The impudence!

 

Wait a minute.  She knew those snores.

 

Hardly daring to believe it, she forced herself to turn around.  Every inch she moved her head seemed to take a lifetime.

 

And there he was.  Curled up beside her, sound asleep.  _Goku._

 

Her heart exploded with rapture.  She flung herself on him at once, burying her face into his neck, inhaling his scent, and kissing his face over and over again.

 

He stirred.  “Oh hey,” he mumbled without opening his eyes.  “Did it work?”

 

“What?” she laughed through her tears.  

 

“The potion,” he yawned.  “Did it work?”

 

Potion?  What on Earth was he talking about?  And how could he act like he’d only just seen her yesterday when it had been thirty years?

 

Then she caught side of a little vial on the bedside table.

 

The potion.

 

And then she remembered.  _Everything._

 

The Reniards.  The gas.  The dreams of Grand Kai’s planet.  _“Some swore it gave them visions of heaven,”_ Piccolo had told her.

 

Not dreams.  Visions.

Visions she had forgotten until she’d gotten that bump on her head.

 

Visions that had been real all along.

 

King Kai told her that the potion was a cure.  And it was.  A cure for the side effects of the Lethe gas, the ones that had been causing her such agony…preventing her from remembering everything else.

 

She started to laugh.  She couldn’t help it.  No more confusion, no more missing pieces.  Her whole life was a clear, straight line of memories.  Everything made sense now.

 

“What?”  Goku’s eyes were wide open now, slightly alarmed.  “Did it work?”

 

“Oh yeah,” she grinned, snuggling closer to him.  “Boy, I’ve got so much to tell you…”

 

No more feeling lost.  She was exactly where she was supposed to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clear things up, if you remember King Kai's explanation (that he wasn't sure Chi-Chi would believe), the blow to her head kind of messed with the lingering side-effects of the Lethe gas, bringing back memories of when she was in the ship, which messed with her head and confused her. At the same time, the dreams/visions she saw in the coma was sort of a glimpse into the future of her and Goku's reunion in Other World. So, yeah, I went with an Inception-ish ending where both worlds were real, LOL. Hope that makes sense!
> 
> Thanks again to all the readers for your kudos and comments! I hope you enjoyed the ride as much as I did writing it!


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